The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on Bulgarian citizens who are in the countries of the Middle East to leave them immediately
23 March 2026 News
"All our citizens who wish to leave the countries of the conflict zone in the Middle East must do so immediately," Deputy Foreign Minister Marin Raykov said in a statement to the media regarding the increased levels of risk to the security of Bulgarians in the Middle East.
"We carried out a rather massive evacuation of our citizens from the conflict zone in the Middle East only a few days ago, but the war is not over. We are in constant contact with our partners and allies. We constantly analyze the situation on the ground. Unfortunately, this situation is currently complicating, security conditions are on the verge of a dramatic deterioration, "Deputy Minister Raykov said.
He stressed that the risks to our citizens in the area are about to become a threat. "All our citizens wishing to leave the relevant countries of the region must do so immediately while the airspace and airports are still open. We are talking about permanent residents in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Iran. They should leave while they still can''.
During the statement, Deputy Minister Raykov said that any available civilian, commercial flight is an opportunity that is undesirable to be missed. "For these countries, a risk index is set at level 5, that is, we warn of the possibility of suspending any opportunities for evacuation by commercial and civil means. Any trips to these countries must be cancelled. Staying there is a matter of personal responsibility and risk-taking ''.
Marin Raykov also explained to the media that in a situation of closed airspace, the Bulgarian state cannot continue to send free evacuation flights to thousands of Bulgarian citizens who would ignore this warning.
"I only open a bracket to say that in the Emirates alone there are 2,000. We also advise Bulgarian citizens not to plan the use of flights with stops at airports in the region. This warning, which we are sending today, is important to be heard, both by our citizens who would plan a trip in this direction, and especially by the citizens who are in the countries of this high-risk, high-risk region, "Deputy Minister Raykov concluded.
Nadezhda Neynsky established a temporary coordination mechanism at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to counter disinformation and combat hybrid threats in connection with the upcoming early parliamentary elections.