Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan announced on Wednesday that 110 Armenian citizens have returned home through flights over the past two days, amid the ongoing US–Israeli war with Iran, which has disrupted travel and security across the Gulf region.
Speaking in parliament, Mirzoyan said the government is doing everything possible to ensure the safety and return of Armenian citizens affected by the conflict.
“In Oman, we have two citizens who do not wish to return. In Israel, we have 15 citizens, five of whom are in constant contact with us and want to return. We have 17 citizens in Kuwait who also want to return; at the moment there are no realistic routes, but all of them are safe. We also have citizens in Doha who currently have no opportunity to return, but all of them have been provided with hotel accommodation and food. Two of those citizens required medication, which was delivered through the embassy’s efforts. We also have one citizen in Vietnam and 117 citizens in India,” he said.
Armenia’s Civil Aviation Committee had confirmed earlier that a FlyOne Armenia aircraft returned to Yerevan from Muscat on Tuesday. The airline had earlier flown from Yerevan to the Omani capital to facilitate the return of Armenian citizens from the United Arab Emirates. The company announced that a special Muscat–Yerevan flight would operate on March 3, with ticket prices starting at €1,049. The flights were privately operated.
Armenian citizens stranded in various Gulf countries due to the ongoing hostilities were required to purchase tickets for the return flight to Yerevan. At the same time, the Armenian Embassy in the UAE stated that transportation from the UAE to Oman had been arranged free of charge.
“Using the UAE–Oman land border, we are organizing the transfer of our citizens from the UAE to Oman, from where they reach Armenia via Muscat–Yerevan flights,” Ararat Mirzoyan said, adding that the Armenian government covers the transportation costs for the approximately 400 km journey, ensures safe passage, and handles all necessary permits.
Addressing criticism over why the government is not covering the cost of return tickets, Mirzoyan said:
“Let us also note that we are talking about citizens who most likely traveled there for tourism purposes. There may, of course, be other reasons. But excuse me, I know of a specific private case, if a person has been in Sri Lanka for a month posting photos in swimsuits, it means they are financially capable, right? They can buy a ticket. What are we talking about? It is also somewhat unfair to demand that the government purchase that ticket as well”.
Regional tensions escalated after U.S. military bases and infrastructure in Oman and the UAE became targets of Iranian strikes, following military actions by Israel and the United States.
Despite negotiations held last week in Geneva between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear dossier, mediated by Oman, the United States and Israel carried out strikes on Iran on the morning of February 28.
