Acting Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to congratulate the team of the Crisis Staff on the successful completion of the active phase of the operation to evacuate Bulgarian citizens from the Middle East region and Iran.
Gyurov also got acquainted with the conditions and methods of work of the Situation Center of our Foreign Ministry. Honorary awards were also presented to the employees of the department for their high contribution to the evacuation of Bulgarians from conflict points in the Middle East.
"We not only recognize a task well done, but also attach importance to professionalism, duty and dedication. They make the big difference that made the work of the Situation Center remain in the history of Bulgarian diplomacy. This was an unprecedented operation in terms of complexity and scale. Colleagues managed to professionally and calmly evacuate more than 2,600 Bulgarian citizens from the conflict zone by air and land, amidst constantly changing dangers. These are 2,600 destinies and reasons to be proud of their work. Our country ranks first in terms of citizens evacuated from the conflict zone. Bulgaria is one of the countries with the most organized flights. Our compatriots should be proud - they can rely on the state when they need it," the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister announced that many citizens had sent several letters of gratitude. "This gratitude is the most important indicator - it shows why we are doing it," he added.
According to Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynski, people have truly felt the care of the state. "The employees of the Situation Center went beyond their official duties. They were very involved in the process of evacuating Bulgarians. This is of great importance for the authority of the Foreign Ministry and for the protection of Bulgarian interests," she said.
Earlier this week, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Nadezhda Neynski announced that over 2,600 Bulgarians have been evacuated from the Middle East region. Over 15,000 telephone calls have been made and over 6,500 emails have been processed, more than 100 employees of our Foreign Ministry and foreign missions worked 24 hours a day, Minister Neynski said.
We have carried out the largest evacuation of Bulgarian citizens from 11 countries to date, she also noted.