Foreign Minister Georgiev: All 11 Bulgarians Who Requested Evacuation Have Safely Left Jordan

A bit of good news: 11 Bulgarians safely left Amman, says Foreign Minister, Georg Georgiev.

Eleven people have successfully left Amman in the past few hours, including eight students under the Erasmus programme and three family members. “These are all the individuals who requested evacuation, and they have safely departed Jordan,” stated Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev in an interview with “The Day Begins” on Bulgarian National Television on June 16.

Minister Georgiev explained that Bulgaria is fully prepared to evacuate its nationals from Iran and Israel if needed, though he did not specify the exact number of people.

“Our top priority is the safe evacuation of Bulgarian citizens from the affected countries. There are Bulgarians in Israel who have requested evacuation. The lists are constantly being updated. They are not concentrated in a single location, not just in Tel Aviv. There are also a few individuals in Iran, though the number is smaller given the limited Bulgarian presence there.”

He stressed that evacuation by air from Israel is currently impossible.

"I believe anyone can understand that when rockets are flying through the sky, no aircraft can land. Israel's airspace is closed. Jordan's airspace is periodically reopened for short durations. The safe windows for evacuation are very limited and short,” Georgiev explained.

“At present, the only option is overland evacuation toward less risky zones. I wouldn't call them ‘safe’—that wouldn't be entirely accurate—but they are relatively less dangerous. The duration of ceasefires is extremely short, which gives us limited options. Nonetheless, we will make every effort to make the best and safest use of them for our people,” the Foreign Minister concluded.