Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis described Greece’s effort to repatriate its citizens from the war zone in the Middle East after the outbreak of the Israel–US–Iran war as an exceptionally demanding operation.
He said that, through the efforts of the Foreign Ministry, more than 2,000 Greek citizens had returned safely from a conflict zone spanning more than seven countries — a situation he called “perhaps the most difficult since the Second World War.”
The evacuation was carried out “by every available means,” Gerapetritis noted. Overland routes were used from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Bethlehem into Egypt, while additional ground transfers took place from Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar into Saudi Arabia. At the same time, chartered aircraft were deployed from multiple locations, including Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
He singled out the most recent phase of the operation as especially complex because it required special arrangements to allow companion animals on board. As he explained, more than 100 passengers were transported on that flight, along with 45 pets that were also repatriated.
Gerapetritis said it was important that Greece had taken the lead on this issue, noting that it was the only flight to include such special provisions.
The foreign minister also praised the services of the Foreign Ministry and Greece’s diplomatic missions for their role in the operation. He offered particular thanks to the ministry’s Cryptographic Service and Crisis Management Unit, saying that over the past 20 days they had worked around the clock — 24 hours a day, seven days a week — sending more than 10,000 messages and making a similar number of calls.
He also thanked his office at the Foreign Ministry, as well as the Hellenic Air Force for its support with two C-130 aircraft.
Special mention was made of Greece’s embassies and consulates in the conflict zone, which, he said, worked tirelessly to carry out “this exceptionally difficult task” in what were effectively wartime conditions. He further noted that seven Foreign Ministry staff members had traveled from Athens to Abu Dhabi in the midst of the conflict to reinforce the Greek Embassy there.
Gerapetritis concluded by saying he wanted Greek citizens, wherever they may be in the world and under whatever circumstances, to feel confident that their homeland would always stand by them.
