Kathmandu [Nepal], June 23 : Nepal Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba announced that 11 Nepali nationals being evacuated from Iran in the evacuation flight being conducted by India are expected to arrive Southern neighbor by tomorrow.
Addressing the parliamentary meeting on Monday, Foreign Minister Deuba informed that a total of 16 Nepali nationals are recorded to be in Iran, out of which 11 are being evacuated for now, as five remain in jail.
"Sixteen Nepali nationals are in Iran; last week, we requested India's Ministry of External Affairs to evacuate our nationals as well while they're evacuating their citizens via Jordan. They've agreed to bring 11 Nepali as well from the evacuation flight, who are now in Mashhad. hopefully, they'll be brought to India by tomorrow, and then they can come to Nepal easily. Out of them, one had to be issued a travel document, and there are five other Nepali citizens who are in jail after going to Iran through illegal migration channels. We are working to bring them back at the same time through this operation," Foreign Minister Deuba briefed.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran had coordinated the evacuation of Nepali nationals who travelled for about 900 kilometers overland from capital Tehran to Mashhad.
As tension between Iran and Israel enters the second week, questions were raised about the evacuation and safety of Nepali workers in those war-raged countries. In her address, Foreign Minister Deuba informed lawmakers that over 2,000 Nepalis had gone to Israel under a government-to-government (G2G) agreement, and all relevant data of these individuals is available.
The minister noted that Nepal's embassy in Israel is currently non-operational due to conflict, with the ambassador working from a bunker. Additionally, she said three Nepalis stranded in Israel would be brought back via Egypt, as Germany declined to issue travel documents. She also revealed that around 500 Nepalis have settled in Israel through marriage.
"We are in constant consultation with the ILO and IOM about the ongoing situation and the evacuation of workers from there. From June 17, we have operated the online portal through which the details about the Nepali workers who want to be evacuated have been asked to sign in. Till now, 8 hundred and 85 people have filled in their details," Minister Deuba said.
On Saturday, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba had thanked External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for assisting in the evacuation of Nepali students from conflict-hit Iran, calling it a reflection of the strong Nepal-India ties.
In a post on X, Deuba wrote, "Thank you, External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar, for India's swift assistance in helping to evacuate Nepali nationals from Iran. India's support in Nepal's evacuation efforts reflects the strength of NepalIndia ties."
Earlier on Saturday, the Indian Embassy in Iran said that it had made efforts to evacuate citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka and noted that the efforts were made at the request of the Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka.
The Indian Embassy in Iran posted on X that "On request of the Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Indian Embassy's evacuation efforts in Iran will also cover Citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka. "
The conflict between Israel and Iran entered its eleventh day on Monday. The conflict started after Israel, on June 13, launched a massive airstrike on Iranian military and nuclear sites, dubbed "Operation Rising Lion".
In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a large-scale drone and missile operation, 'Operation True Promise 3', targeting Israeli fighter jet fuel production facilities and energy supply centres.
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