96 Romanians returned to Romania from the Middle East. Flight organized within the framework of the European Civil Protection Mechanism
96 Romanian citizens were repatriated on Friday, March 13, through a flight organized by Romania through the rescEU air transport capacity, within the European Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), announced the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE).
It is the third flight organized by Romania within the rescEU mechanism. PHOTO: MFA collage
Among the repatriated persons are 21 minors, one infant and 74 adults. There were also 19 people with medical problems and a pregnant woman on board. The flight, operated by the Polish airline LOT, was carried out on the route Muscat – Bucharest, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In the aircraft that landed in Romania, 38 eligible citizens from member states of the European Union and from third countries participating in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism were also transported.
This is the third flight organized by Romania within the rescEU mechanism, after, on March 9, two other flights operated by the same company evacuated 273 Romanian citizens and 83 citizens of other EU states from the Middle East.
The cost of the flight is covered by the budget of the European Union.
At the same time, it is the fourth evacuation flight organized by Romania through the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
Citizens, transported by road to Muscat
The road transport of the evacuated persons to Muscat was ensured by the MFA, through the Romanian Consulate in Dubai and the Romanian Embassy in Abu Dhabi. The coaches were accompanied along the entire route by a mobile consular team, and the road transport costs will be settled by the European Commission up to 75%.
Road transport of the evacuees to Muscat was provided by the MAE. PHOTO: MFA
The Embassy of Romania in Muscat coordinated the pick-up of Romanian citizens and their boarding in aircraft, together with the mobile consular team of the Rapid Reaction Unit of the Crisis Cell of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the same time, the Embassy of Romania in Abu Dhabi and the Delegation of the European Union in Riyadh, also accredited for Oman, made efforts with the Emirati authorities to facilitate the crossing of the border between the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Romania is the first country to use the rescEU air transport capacity of the European Civil Protection Mechanism for repatriation operations, since its creation in 2019.
6,000 Romanian citizens returned safely to the country
According to MAE data, so far more than 6,000 Romanian citizens have returned safely to the country from the states affected by the conflict in the Middle East, of which approximately 3,500 through evacuation flights, assisted repatriation or facilitated by the ministry.
The representatives of the MAE specify that all the priority cases under the attention of the Romanian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, the Romanian Embassy in Muscat and the Romanian Consulate General in Dubai were included on the flight that landed in Bucharest on Friday.
When the procedures to reconfirm the evacuation requests began, on March 11, the diplomatic missions had approximately 270 people on record, especially vulnerable tourists – minors, medical cases or pregnant women -, but also Romanian citizens left without financial resources. Some of them later chose to stay in Dubai, citing the inconvenience of the road transfer to Muscat, and others left the region through self-identified solutions.
The Crisis Cell of the MFA and the diplomatic and consular teams remain ready
The Crisis Cell of the MAE and the diplomatic and consular teams in the region remain ready to provide assistance and consular support to Romanian citizens, depending on requests and the evolution of the security situation in the region.
The Ministry recommends Romanians to follow the official information, to constantly check the communications of the airlines and to register on the eConsulate platform so that they can be contacted in emergency situations.
