Indian Mission in Slovakia moves officials near Ukraine border
Darpan News Desk IANS, 25 Feb, 2022 01:35 PM
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The Indian Embassy in Slovakia has moved all its senior staff members to the border areas with Ukraine to facilitate crossing of Indian nationals from the war-hit country to Slovakia.
"From Thursday afternoon, the Embassy of India in Bratislava has stationed officials at the Slovak-Ukraine border to provide essential assistance to India nationals who might cross over to Slovakia," the Embassy stated.
The Embassy also released numbers of the officials for the stranded nationals -- Manoj Kumar, Consular Officer is available on +421908025212, while Ivan Kozinka is available on +421908458724. Apart from them, few more officials have been moved.
India is working out evacuation plans for Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine through Romania, Hungary and Poland.
"Slovakia at this point of time is not yet a designated evacuation point. However, we are ready to provide assistance to Indian nationals in Ukraine who may come to Slovakia," said the Embassy.
On Thursday, India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had stated that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has spoken to the concerned officials in Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia for setting up camps on the border areas for evacuation of stranded Indian nationals.
The Foreign Secretary also stated that flight options will available from Dubai and Istanbul and the Indian Embassy continues to be operational in Ukraine.
The Madhya Pradesh government said on Friday that 46 students from the state who registered with the Chief Minister's helpline are safe in Ukraine. However, it is not known exactly how many students from the state are stranded in the war-hit country.
The announcement came shortly after President Vladimir Putin authorised a "special military operation" in the conflict-hit Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Flights to Kiev, Dnepr, Lvov and Odessa airports "are restricted due to potential hazard for civil aviation
The United Nations refugee agency said on Thursday that the situation was quickly deteriorating after Russia's invasion. It appealed to neighbouring countries to keep their borders open to people seeking a safe haven.
There are an estimated 25,000 Indian students in Ukraine alone who are pursuing medicine, engineering, and science courses. More than 2,500 students from Tamil Nadu are estimated to be studying in Ukraine.
The Foreign Secretary stated that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has spoken to his Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, and Slovakian counterparts for setting up a camp at border areas for evacuation of stranded Indian nationals. He also stated that flight options are available through Dubai and Istanbul and that the Indian Embassy continues to be operational in Ukraine.
The Ministry of External Affairs in touch with all the neighbouring countries surrounding Ukraine to even evacuate Indian citizens. Many citizens who were to fly back to India were left at the airport after closure of Ukrainian airspace following Russia's Vladimir Putin announcement of a military operation in Ukraine.
