More than 2,600 Bulgarians assisted in evacuation from the Middle East

More than 2,600 Bulgarian citizens have received assistance to leave countries in the Middle East and Iran as part of an ongoing evacuation operation coordinated by Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry, according to data from the ministry’s Situation Centre as of 09:30 on 9 March 2026.

A total of 1,258 people were evacuated from the United Arab Emirates on flights organised by a crisis task force set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism. Another 876 Bulgarian citizens left the country on flights arranged by tour operators. Bulgaria’s Consulate General in Dubai provided on-site assistance for all flights.

Preparations are under way to evacuate Bulgarian citizens from Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain via land routes, while authorities are closely monitoring developments in Lebanon. So far, 35 Bulgarian citizens have contacted the Bulgarian embassy in Beirut seeking assistance.

The staff of Bulgaria’s embassy in Tehran — a total of 10 people, including six employees and four family members — have been evacuated by land to Baku. Eight of them have already returned to Bulgaria.

In addition, 130 Bulgarian tourists travelling with tour operators received assistance from Bulgaria’s embassy in evacuating from Jordan.

A total of 20 Bulgarian citizens have also been evacuated from Iraq. At present, there are no Bulgarian nationals awaiting evacuation from the country.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova