ТАSHKENT, March 5. /Dunyo IA/.   Today, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan responded to a media inquiry via its telegram-channel regarding the evacuation of compatriots from Middle Eastern countries, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

“Question: How many citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan have so far been returned from countries across the region, and on what basis is this evacuation being conducted?

Answer: Between 1 March and 10:00 a.m. on 5 March, a total of 9,361 citizens of Uzbekistan have been safely returned to their homeland.

The largest number – 8,114 people arrived from Saudi Arabia aboard scheduled and specially arranged charter flights.

1,192 citizens have thus far been repatriated from the United Arab Emirates.

A further 23 citizens were brought home from Iran, 25 from Bahrain, and 7 from Oman.

The return of our compatriots is being carried out in a structured and carefully phased manner.

At present, evacuation efforts are focused primarily on those countries whose airspace remains open to civilian air traffic.

As airspace restrictions are lifted elsewhere in the region, additional evacuation flights will be arranged without any delay.

We call upon our citizens to remain composed, avoid alarm, and act with deliberation and restraint.

We further urge them to observe strictly the laws and regulations of their host countries and rely solely on official information issued by the competent state authorities and diplomatic missions of the Republic of Uzbekistan”.