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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday said that India has facilitated the return of 1,777 Indian nationals from Iran amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, which is currently in its second month. It noted that the facilitation was made possible by support from the authorities of Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Speaking during an inter-ministerial briefing on recent developments in the region, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the Indian Embassy in Tehran has been actively coordinating evacuation efforts. "Our embassy in Tehran has so far facilitated the movement of 1,777 Indian nationals in Iran to Armenia and Azerbaijan. From there, they have been flying back to India," he said. He added that the total includes 895 Indian students and 345 Indian fishermen who were employed by various companies in Iran. The fishermen were evacuated via Armenia and flew back to India on April 4, landing in Chennai. Following their arrival, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar expressed gratitude towards Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan for facilitating the evacuation of Indian fishermen from Iran amid the conflict. "Thank FM Ararat Mirzoyan and the Government of Armenia for facilitating the evacuation of Indian fishermen today from Iran, through Armenia to India," Jaishankar wrote in a post on X. The MEA spokesperson further noted that, in addition to Indian nationals, the embassy also assisted two foreign nationals--one from Bangladesh and one from Sri Lanka--in their evacuation. Providing a breakdown, Jaiswal said that 1,545 Indian nationals crossed into Armenia, while 234 were moved to Azerbaijan as part of the evacuation process. "The embassy, along with the Indian nationals, has also facilitated the movement of two foreign nationals--one from Bangladesh and one from Sri Lanka. Of the total, 1,545 Indian nationals crossed over from Armenia and 234 to Azerbaijan," the MEA spokespersons said. Speaking on the number of Indian nationals who were killed in the conflict, Jaiswal said that eight people have died during the ongoing conflict, while one individual remains missing. He stated that the mortal remains of seven of those individuals were brought back to India, while the one is still pending due to some technicalities. in Oman "A total of eight people have died during the conflict in West Asia, and one person is still missing. Seven of their mortal remains were brought back to India, while one is still pending due to some technicalities. Our embassy in Oman is making every effort to bring the remaining mortal remains back to India," he added. The conflict in West Asia began following US-Israeli joint military strikes on Iran on February 28 that assassinated Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran, in retaliation, targeted Israel and US assets in several Gulf countries, causing disruption in the waterways and affecting international energy markets and global economic stability. (ANI)
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