Central Asian Countries Scramble to Help Nationals in Mideast Conflict Zone

With the Mideast conflict entering a second day, Central Asian governments have urged their citizens in the region to take precautions, including following the instructions of local authorities and staying away from mass gatherings.

Five civilians from Tajikistan are among foreigners from a range of countries who have crossed from Iran into Azerbaijan since the United States and Israel launched air strikes at Iranian targets on Saturday, the Azerbaijani Press Agency reported. Others who have crossed include 18 Saudi diplomats, four diplomats from Jordan and hundreds of Russian civilians. Canada and Spain have communicated with Azerbaijan about the possible evacuation of their citizens as well.

One citizen of Azerbaijan in the region has been injured, but is in good condition and receiving support from diplomatic staff, said Aykhan Hajizade, spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was quoted by state news agency Azertac.

Uzbekistan said there are no casualties among its 81 citizens in Iran. The nationals from Uzbekistan include eight employees of diplomatic missions, nine students in the city of Qom, nine who are in Iran on private visits and 55 permanent residents.

“The Embassy maintains constant contact with compatriots,” the Uzbek government said.

Iran responded to the air strikes with retaliatory waves of missiles and drones aimed at Israel as well as U.S. military facilities and civilian areas across the region.

“Air traffic has been suspended due to temporary restrictions on the use of airspace,” Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a message on Telegram to its nationals in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The ministry urged them to fully comply with local laws, avoid going out unnecessarily and stay away from crowded places, and rely only on official sources of information.

Kazakhstan said it was working on “round-the-clock interaction” with authorities in countries affected by the conflict, and that its diplomatic missions are providing consular and legal assistance to compatriots. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has opened hotlines.

“Lists of citizens in the region, including transit zones, are being updated,” the ministry said. “Operational chats have been created in messengers where compatriots can get answers to their questions and information about the situation in the country, including recommendations.”

The ministry said it was collecting information about the number of Kazakhstani citizens in the “escalation zone,” and that it was difficult to specify the exact number. There have been no reports so far of casualties among people from Kazakhstan, it said.

Last year, Mashhad, a northeastern Iranian city near the border with Turkmenistan and a significant hub for trade with Central Asia, was among the targets hit by the Israeli military. At the time, Turkmenistan facilitated the cross-border transfer from Iran of some people from Central Asia and other regions.

So far, there are no reports of U.S. or Israeli strikes on Mashhad since the latest conflict began. The city is an Islamic pilgrimage site and is the birth place of Ayatollah Ali KHAMENEI, Iran’s supreme leader. He was killed in air strikes on Saturday.

By The: The Times Of Central Asia.

Image: TCA.

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