Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has ordered military aircraft to evacuate citizens requiring urgent medical assistance from the Middle East.
Tusk Makes Decision on Military Evacuation
“I have decided to use the aircraft available to the Armed Forces to support the evacuation of Poles from the Middle East. The appropriate application in this matter has already been submitted to the president,” Donald Tusk informed on social media.
Evacuation Details and Statistics
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski specified that the prime minister submitted an application to the president regarding a medical flight from Oman. The consular service identified 57 people who need to be evacuated from the United Arab Emirates. The Vice Prime Minister added that a major evacuation operation is being organized by the UAE.
Polish consular services in Egypt received 736 people, and from Jordan, 800 Poles were evacuated by sea. “The evacuation from Israel is also practically complete, that was also about 500 people, about 30 remain,” added Sikorski.
Military Flights Limited to Medical Cases
Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamiesz informed on Wednesday that he had declared the readiness of the means and forces of the Polish Army to evacuate Poles in need of medical assistance in the Middle East. He emphasized that the evacuation of other citizens is taking place by civilian transport means.
The head of the Ministry of National Defense indicated that military transport is intended for evacuating persons who need medical assistance and “whose health and life due to their health condition is simply at risk.” Asked for details, he stated that the military transport will depart when appropriate procedures are carried out and the possibility of transit is ensured. “Safety assessment is the priority,” added the vice prime minister.
Civilian Evacuation Operations
Travel agencies and the Polish Tourism Organization, LOT are being used for civilian evacuations. Since Tuesday, nearly 600 Polish citizens have returned from the Middle East to the country.
Crisis Response After Iran Attack
On Saturday, February 28, the United States and Israel attacked Iran, killing the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking officials. Tehran in retaliation began attacks on American bases in the region, as a result of which many airlines canceled their flights.
The Prime Minister informed on Tuesday that he had instructed the Minister of Sport and Tourism to coordinate the work of a team appointed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with the situation of Poles in the Middle East. The team includes representatives of various ministries. On Wednesday, before noon, the team, with the participation of the head of government, met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
