kosovo-online.com<https://www.kosovo-online.com/en/news/politics/djuric-serbia-first-region-launch-evacuation-flights-middle-east-4-3-2026> Djuric: Serbia first in the region to launch evacuation flights from the Middle East 5–6 minutes ________________________________ Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric stated this morning that Serbia was the first to begin evacuation flights from countries affected by the conflict between the United States and Israel with Iran, in order to remove its citizens from those territories, as well as citizens of countries from the region.
Djuric also pointed out that over the past year, everyone has witnessed an erosion of international law and respect for the sovereignty of small and medium-sized states, which is why Serbia insists on relying on international law and the peaceful resolution of all disputes. “Our duty, but also our desire, is to show care for people who have found themselves in the unenviable situation of being in countries affected by conflicts. Serbia was the first in the region to launch evacuation flights, and four flights have already been carried out - one Air Serbia flight from Sharm el Sheikh that transported citizens from Israel, along with three Flydubai flights from the Emirates. Thanks to the excellent relations and friendship with the UAE, they prioritized the continuation of flights to Belgrade, while many other flights were canceled,” Djuric said on the program “Dan na dan.” Serbia, he added, is assessing the security situation in order to introduce additional free flights to the Gulf region if necessary, as was the case during the Covid pandemic. He clarified that Air Serbia flights are free of charge, while commercial flights operate under commercial conditions. The minister emphasized that Serbia has opened its doors to citizens from the region as well. “On our flights we have citizens from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia. We will continue this practice, and it is very possible that our national carrier will organize charter flights for some countries in the region,” Djuric said, adding that this example shows how important it was to preserve the national airline. He noted that in such critical situations, coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the network of embassies is crucial, expressing gratitude to staff in all embassies in conflict zones for risking their lives. As an example, given that the Serbian Embassy in Tehran was hit, Djuric said that the staff there worked under extremely difficult conditions and managed to evacuate everyone from Iran who wanted to leave, including a couple with a baby who were successfully transferred to Turkey. “People from our mission traveled 16 hours from Tehran to the border with Azerbaijan through a country under military operations. I thank them for serving Serbia honorably in difficult circumstances. It is similar with the embassy in Israel, where last year a rocket fired from Iran hit the residential complex where our ambassador lives with his wife. Two hours later, he was in the embassy receiving citizens. The same applies to the embassy staff in the Emirates, who work day and night with citizens,” Djuric said. He therefore asked everyone not to criticize people working in war conditions and risking their lives to help their compatriots, as they deserve only words of praise, while he, as minister, is subject to any criticism. He also pointed out that last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established a “travel traffic light” on its website and urged all citizens to inform themselves about the security situation before traveling to any country. Djuric stressed that countries affected by the conflict did not deserve to be attacked. In that regard, he stated that the United Arab Emirates is not a party to the conflict and has not attacked anyone, but has sought to maintain decent relations with all, yet civilian targets were attacked in that country. “Without going into an analysis of the broader conflict, in principle we must stand by partners such as the UAE, our friends and partners. I spoke with their foreign minister, President Vucic spoke with Sheikh Bin Zayed, because it is very important that they know they can count on Serbia’s support, just as we can count on them on issues important to us, given that the Emirates is one of the most influential countries in the broader Middle East,” Djuric said, adding that Serbia has not neglected other countries such as Bahrain and Kuwait, nor Cyprus, which is close to the conflict zone. He also pointed out that, more broadly, over the past year, everyone has witnessed an erosion of international law and respect for the sovereignty of small and medium-sized states. “For us, the ultimate principle is that Serbian interests come first and that we stand by our allies and partners. On the other hand, we must continue to advocate for the peaceful resolution of disputes. For us, as a small to medium-sized country, reliance on international law and commitment to peace, along with strengthening defense capacities and expanding our network of friends in the world, is the best possible approach,” Djuric concluded. -- http:www.antic.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SERBIAN NEWS NETWORK" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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