New Delhi: Indian embassies and consulates continue to operate round-the-clock helplines to provide timely assistance to Indian nationals in the Gulf and the West Asia region, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated on Friday.
“Ministry of External Affairs continues to closely monitor developments in the Gulf and West Asia region. Our efforts are focused on ensuring the safety and welfare of the Indian community in the region,” Aseem R Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf) at the MEA, stated during an inter-ministerial briefing.
According to the senior diplomat, Indian embassies and consulates are proactively assisting Indian citizens and are also in close touch with the the local governments.
“The overall flight situation continues to improve with additional flights operating from the region to various destinations in India. United Arab Emirates (UAE) airspace is open,” he noted.
The MEA official also mentioned that the Indian and UAE carriers are operating flights from the UAE to various destinations in India. Flights are operating from various airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman to different destinations in India.
According to the MEA, Qatar airspace is partially open, Kuwait and Bahrain airspaces are open while Iraq airspace is open with limited flight operations, which can be used for onward travel to India.
“We’ve advised Indian nationals to avoid travelling to Iran, and urged those already there to leave with the Embassy’s support,” he noted. “So far, the Indian Embassy in Tehran has facilitated the movement of 2,557 Indian nationals out of Iran through land border routes,” he highlighted.
The Additional Secretary also mentioned that Israel’s airspace is open, with limited flight operations in the region.
Several Gulf countries have reported missiles and drones targeting their areas multiple times since the US-Israel-Iran conflict started in February.
Earlier in May, three Indian nationals were injured in the UAE amid the ongoing conflict. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had condemned the attack and termed the targeting of civilians and infrastructure as “unacceptable”.
(IANS)
