Skopje, 9 March 2026 (MIA) - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski said Monday that a coordinated process for the evacuation of Macedonian nationals from several countries in the Middle East is underway and is expected to be completed by the end of the week.

At a press conference in the Government, Mucunski said a crisis mechanism was established at the very beginning of the escalation of the crisis in the Middle East.

“At the very beginning of the escalation of the security crisis in the Middle East, the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade established a permanent crisis mechanism. Through the established crisis HQ and the diplomatic and consular missions we had 24-hour communication with the Macedonian citizens in the affected areas, with a clear goal of ensuring their safe, timely and organized evacuation,” Mucunski said.

The Minister added that this is the third complex operation of a similar scale in the past 12 months.

“In the past 12 months, this is the third complex operation of this scale, after the tragedy with the fire in Kochani and the first escalation in the Israel – Iran conflict. This once again reaffirms the readiness and institutional capacity of the state to react fast, responsibly and in a coordinated manner during crises,” the Minister said.

Mucunski said all nationals stranded in Israel who expressed readiness to depart Israel by land have been evacuated.

“Six people were evacuated with the government plane through Sharm El-Sheikh, while the diplomatic and consular missions in Tel Aviv and Cairo assisted in the organization of their return with commercial flights. One person remains, whose evacuation will be realized as soon as conditions permit,” Mucunski said.

The Minister said an evacuation flight carrying 151 passengers was realized from the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, which also carried foreign nationals from several countries.  

“Currently around 430 Macedonian nationals have been registered in this country, and two more flights are planned from Dubai this week,” Mucunski said, stressing that 14 registered people did not show up to the airport, after which other citizens were contacted to ensure full use of the flight’s capacity.

In Doha, 162 nationals have been registered, 89 of which have expressed readiness to evacuate. Nationals have also been registered in Kuwait – 36, Bahrein – 15, and Saudi Arabia – 5.

“An organized transport to Riyadh is being planned for them, after which a direct flight will take place this week. The entire process is being realized in line with an already developed operational plan in close coordination with all relevant institutions,” Mucunski said.

Rеgarding the evacuation of Macedonian football player Martin Ashkovski from Iran, the Minister said the process was especially complex when it came to crossing the border with Türkiye.

“According to the information I have, the procedure lasted several hours, but our Embassy in Ankara successfully completed the task, and he safely crossed the border into Türkiye,” Mucunski said.

The Minister urged citizens seeking evacuation to communicate promptly with diplomatic and consular missions, stressing that the evacuation is carried out free of charge for Macedonian nationals.

“Our goal is for all planes to be filled to maximum capacity. Yesterday at the Dubai airport, 14 people who had requested evacuation decided not to show up. That is why I appeal to our citizens: everyone who requests evacuation but has not yet contacted us should reach out to our diplomatic and consular missions as soon as possible,” Mucunski said.

The Minister expressed regret over what he described as the spread of unverified information in some media outlets regarding the evacuation process and the security aspects of the crisis.

“In circumstances like these, accurate and responsible information is crucial. The spread of fake news creates unnecessary panic, undermines trust in the institutions that work day and night for the safety of our citizens, and can even damage the international reputation of our country,” Mucunski stressed.

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