Egyptian citizens who fled from Ukraine to Romania pose for an image in Budapest Airport on Sunday 6 March, 2022. Photo courtesy of Egyptian Foreign Ministry Facebook page.
Their repatriation comes in accordance with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s directives to bring Egyptians who fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries in the wake of the war home.
Since the start of the Russian invasion on 24 February, hundreds of Egyptian expats have entered the neighbouring countries of Romania, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland, and the Egyptian authorities are now coordinating their return, launching an air bridge for the mission.
Over the past week, Egypt has repatriated 177 nationals from Poland, 175 from Romania, and 30 from Hungary, most of whom are students.
The Egyptian embassies in the neighbouring countries – which are providing temporary residences for the evacuees – are currently pressing with efforts to repatriate additional groups of Egyptians.
The Egyptian Embassy in Vienna also said on Sunday it was arranging the return of the last group of Egyptian citizens fleeing the war.
Egypt is set to send an aircraft in the coming days to the Slovakian capital of Bratislava to repatriate nationals who crossed Ukraine's borders, the Egyptian embassy in Kyiv announced on Sunday.
Prior to the Russian invasion, the number of Egyptian in Ukraine stood at around 6,000, including 3,000 students studying at the country's universities, especially in medicine.
The invasion has forced more than 1.7 million Ukrainians and thousands of nationals of various countries to flee.
Last week, Egypt joined 140 countries in voting for a UN resolution calling for a halt to the Russian invasion and an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from its western neighbour.
Immediately after the start of the invasion, Egypt called for upholding dialogue and adopting diplomatic and political means to resolve the crisis.
Short link: