No: 104, 5 April 2015

We have strongly and repeatedly recommended our citizens in Yemen to leave the country since February, because of the serious deterioration in public order and security conditions in Yemen.

After the launch of the military operation in Yemen by the coalition forces under the leadership of Saudi Arabia, a meticulous work has been carried out for the evacuation of the Turkish citizens who were in Yemen and requesting their evacuation.

In this context, TCG Büyükada Corvette of the Turkish Naval Forces on mission in the adjacent waters completed the evacuation of 55 Turkish citizens who were in the coastal town of Aden on 3 April 2015. Our citizens were taken firstly to Djibouti by means of TCG Büyükada Corvette, and then they were transferred to Turkey by a Turkish Airlines aircraft on 4 April 2015.

After the conclusion of this operation, evacuation efforts for Turkish citizens waiting to leave the capital city Sana was started. In this process, every option was carefully considered, intensive contacts and coordination were established with all related parties, in particular with Yemeni authorities and Saudi Arabia which leads the coalition forces. For the security of our citizens, it was decided as the best option that they should be returned to Turkey by a special aircraft to be provided by Turkish Airlines. Accordingly, Turkish citizens and a group of foreigners comprising the citizens of some friendly and brotherly countries which requested their evacuation from Turkey departed from Yemen to Turkey today (5 April).

We are glad that Turkish citizens who requested their evacuation from the capital city Sana also departed safe and sound from the country, after the evacuation of our citizens in Aden and they are on the way to Turkey, as a result of the devoted and meticulous work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other related institutions. Our wish and expectation for the next period is that stability and security will be established and the legitimate state authority will prevail once again in friendly and brotherly Yemen. Turkey will continue to stand by Yemen in this difficult period, as it has done in the past.