Over 20,000 Kyrgyz citizens currently in Middle East, MFA official says

As of March 2, approximately 22,000 citizens of Kyrgyzstan are currently in the Middle East, primarily in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyz officials said.

Speaking at a press conference, Seytik Zhumakadyr, director of the Consular Department at the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry, stated that none of the Kyrgyz nationals in the region had been reported injured or left homeless, Caliber.Az reports per Kyrgyz media.

He said consular staff and members of an operational headquarters were making every effort to provide necessary assistance to their compatriots.

According to Zhumakadyr, around 6,000 Kyrgyz citizens are currently in Saudi Arabia, most of them pilgrims who traveled to perform Umrah. Another 10,000 are in the United Arab Emirates, including approximately 1,000 individuals who have overstayed their tourist visas.

He also noted that certain difficulties had arisen in the United Arab Emirates, particularly in Dubai, as well as in Qatar. In response, Kyrgyz authorities have developed alternative travel routes and prepared corresponding action plans, he added.

By Sabina Mammadli