“We have concluded the evacuation,” Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday evening, adding that a plane from Amman (the capital of Jordan) carrying 64 Polish citizens landed just before midnight. The evacuation was carried out in response to the recent escalation of conflict between Israel and Iran.
“We thank the Ministry of Defence, the pilots, and all the authorities involved in preparing and conducting these evacuations,” the Foreign Ministry added in its official statement.
Henryka Mościcka-Dendys, Undersecretary of State at Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Ambassador to Denmark, also expressed her gratitude to the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces and to the staff of Polish diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv (Israel), Amman (Jordan), and Cairo (Egypt).
During Monday's briefing on the evacuation of Polish citizens from Israel, Mościcka-Dendys emphasized that Poland was the first major EU country to decide to bring its citizens home, "with all the consequences such an action entails both for our allies and for Israel itself."
Polish top diplomat Radosław Sikorski noted that among those evacuated - who landed at Warsaw’s Chopin Airport aboard a military aircraft - were four small children. He added that over the past four days, around 300 people have safely returned to Poland, including not only Polish citizens but also nationals of other countries.
The head of Polish diplomacy also pointed out that other countries are just beginning similar evacuations from the Middle East or are starting to consider them, while Poland has already completed its operation.
Minister Sikorski reminded that Polish citizens can take advantage of evacuations organized by European Union member states on a reciprocal basis.
Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Paweł Wroński has recently urged travelers heading from Poland to Israel to exercise caution. “It’s not as if we can always assist everyone. The Foreign Ministry is not one big travel agency for people wanting to return,” he said.
Wroński emphasized that it is not always possible to leave at the taxpayer’s expense, and while there may be alternative ways to evacuate, such efforts are becoming increasingly dangerous.
Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also advising against all non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia and Oman, urging citizens to postpone their trips until the security situation stabilizes. Travelers are encouraged to monitor updates from their airlines.
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Source: MSZ/X/@PolandMFA/@sikorskiradek/@RzecznikMSZ/@PolakZaGranica