MINSK, 12 March (BelTA) – Chargé d’Affaires of the Republic of Belarus in the State of Qatar Aleksei Malafei detailed how Belarusian tourists were evacuated from Qatar on the air of the ONT TV channel, BelTA has learned.
During the night of 11 March, a special Belavia flight brought an organized group of 189 passengers from Qatar to Minsk. At that moment, it was the only evacuation flight from Qatar operated by a foreign airline under the current circumstances. This became possible thanks to the coordinated efforts of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Belarusian Embassy in Qatar, and the aviation authorities and agencies of both countries.
“We examined various evacuation options, including traveling overland through Saudi Arabia to Riyadh or flying from Dubai with Belavia. Safety was our priority. Therefore, spending 10-20 hours on a bus to Riyadh or Dubai seemed risky to us, given the evolving situation and ongoing missile attacks on Qatar and neighboring countries,” Aleksei Malafei said.
Tourists from Oman (Salalah) also returned during that night. Evacuation flights from Dubai are continuing.
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