Two Taiwanese have left Bahrain on a charter flight arranged by the Japanese government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The move was part of ongoing efforts to help Taiwanese stranded in the Middle East return home.
The two Taiwanese were on Thursday accompanied by Taipei Trade Office in the Kingdom of Bahrain personnel via land to Riyadh, the ministry in a statement.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via CNA
Upon arrival in the Saudi Arabian capital, they were put on the same flight as a group of Japanese nationals Tokyo was also helping evacuate, it said.
The flight chartered by Japan departed from Riyadh on Friday and landed at Tokyo Narita International Airport yesterday morning, it added.
The ministry expressed its sincere gratitude to the Japanese government for the assistance it provided to the Taiwanese citizens.
“As partners in the Indo-Pacific region... this collaboration fully demonstrates the sincere friendship between Taiwan and Japan as they support each other in times of emergency,” the ministry added.
The two Taiwanese, who are expected to return to Taiwan in a few days, are among the 486 Taiwanese in the Middle East who have requested assistance from the ministry’s overseas missions, the ministry said.
As of Friday, 1,935 Taiwanese have returned home since regional tensions escalated following strikes by the US and Israel on Iran on Feb. 28, ministry data showed.
It has raised travel advisories for Israel and Iran to “red” — urging Taiwanese who are still in those countries to leave immediately.
The ministry also and placed neighboring Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Kuwait under an “orange” alert.
The ministry has advised Taiwanese to refrain from traveling to those countries.
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