MFA: Kazakhstan evacuated about 300 of its citizens from Iran, Israel - EXCLUSIVE

Kazakhstan has so far evacuated 230 of its citizens from Iran and 66 from Israel, spokesperson for the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, Aibek Smadiyarov, told Report.

"The evacuation took place in difficult conditions. We evacuated 230 people from Iran and 66 from Israel," Smadiyarov noted.

According to him, the Kazakhs were evacuated from Israel by buses to the border with Egypt, where they were met by Kazakh diplomats working in Cairo. The evacuation of Kazakhs from Iran was more difficult, as it was carried out through the territory of three countries: Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Armenia.

"Our diplomats first gathered people from different parts of Iran. They were transported mainly at night. Sometimes the journey took 16-17 hours along the mountain serpentine. The borders were closed. It took a lot of effort to get the Iranian border guards to let people out at night, and the Azerbaijani or Turkmen border guards to accept them," said Aibek Smadiyarov.

The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again thanked the Iranian, Azerbaijani and Turkmen sides for their assistance in carrying out this large-scale operation.

"The Kazakhs who were able to return to their homeland are now safe," he added.

Aibek Smadiyarov emphasized that there are still 50 Kazakhs in Iran, who are mostly diplomats and will remain in the country to help their compatriots return to their homeland.

"There are still 170 Kazakhs remaining in Israel. If they want to leave Israel, they should contact Kazakh diplomats," Smadiyarov emphasized.