New Delhi, December 13
The External Affairs Ministry on Friday confirmed that seventy seven Indian nationals had been evacuated from strife torn Syria so far. The spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said that the Indian embassies in Middle East region are in touch with Indians there and will help them if need arises.
The spokesperson also said that there is no need for evacuation from any other country as of now.
"So far, 77 Indians have been evacuated, these are those who wanted to return. In addition to that, several other Indians have settled there, married there or are pursuing some vocation and still continue to live there. If they want to return, we will facilitate their return. These 77 were evacuated via Lebanon, and our embassies in Lebanon and Syria coordinated very closely. We brought them by road, after which the Indian embassy in Lebanon facilitated their immigration. The immigration at the border was long and there was a lot of people, so it was quite an exercise. Then we took care of their boarding and lodging, made arrangements for the stay. Out of the 77, 44 were on a pilgrimage to various sites in the region. They have left Beirut for other places and the remaining 30 have either returned or are travelling as we speak, and will be returning to India soon," he said.
Jaiswal added that the MEA has issued several advisories to people in different Middle Eastern countries like Lebanon and Israel and are in touch with them. However, they do not need to be evacuated as of now.
"We are in touch with others in Damascus and if they require, the Indian embassy will give them a helping hand. We have 3,000 people in Lebanon, about 1,000 people in UNDOF and UNIFIL. We have issued several advisories to stay in touch with our embassies. If tomorrow there is any need for evacuation, we will do that. But, as of now, nothing of that sort is in pipeline. In Israel, we have 32,000 Indian nationals who are working there and the Indian embassy is in touch with them for their welfare. So far there are no evacuation plans from any other country," he said.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar highlighted the government's swift and coordinated response to the recent crisis involving Indian pilgrims stranded in Syria in a dialogue at the Lok Sabha.
"I am very grateful to the honorary member for recognising the work that was done to get the Indian pilgrims who were stranded in Syria out very safely in the last two days to Lebanon," Jaishankar stated, emphasising India's commitment to protecting its citizens abroad.
Syria's newly appointed Prime Minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, has focused on repatriating Syrian refugees living abroad as one of his key goals. Al-Bashir aims to "bring back the millions of Syrian refugees who are abroad" as part of efforts to restore stability in the country.
The government continues to face challenges, including unrest surrounding the tomb of Hafez al-Assad, which was recently set on fire.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah and Israeli leaders have expressed concerns about Syria's future political direction, particularly regarding Iran's involvement in the region.