The last eight Moldovan citizens from the Gaza Strip arrived in Chisinau today thanks to an evacuation effort coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, in partnership with IOM Moldova and the Moldovan authorities.

The IOM Moldova team is assisting the latest group together with the 45 Moldovan citizens evacuated earlier. The support includes transportation from the airport to the accommodation, primary health care and counseling, ground transportation for families to their final destination across the republic and in Europe, and a number of essential items.

Moldova’s foreign minister Nicu Popescu commented on this occasion: “Today the mission to evacuate our citizens from the Gaza Strip was successfully completed. Fifty-three citizens of the Republic of Moldova were evacuated from Gaza thanks to concerted efforts by our embassies in Israel, Turkey and Qatar, as well as the remarkable efforts of the consular official posted in Egypt”.

“We would like to express our gratitude to all partners of the Republic of Moldova involved in this extensive evacuation process, including the State of Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Romania, Ukraine and the International Organization for Migration. Thanks to the joint effort, we managed to carry out one of the most complex and difficult evacuation missions in the history of the diplomatic service of our country. We thank everyone for the support”, declared Nicu Popescu.

“We thank Deputy Prime Minister Popescu for the information about those returning from Gaza and for the kind words about the excellent cooperation. The last Moldovans involved in this operation are returning home as we speak”, said Lars Johan Lönnback, head of IOM Moldova.