Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said five special flights have now either already brought Estonian citizens home or are on their way to Tallinn from Riga. "The special flight that departed from Dubai to Tallinn on Saturday arrived last night, and the FlyDubai flight arrived this morning," Tsahkna said on Sunday.

"Since last Saturday, we have been working to ensure that our people can return home," Tsahkna said, adding that many unexpected situations have arisen that needed to be resolved very quickly.

"In addition to yesterday's three flights, one additional special flight is currently on its way to Estonia, another was slightly delayed and is expected to depart during the night, and tomorrow evening the final two special flights should depart from Dubai."

"We very much look forward to welcoming all these people home," Tsahkna said. "However, conditions in the UAE are changing, and we are ready to adjust our plans if necessary. Still, I ask everyone who wants a seat on a special flight to purchase their ticket."

After these seven special flights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not currently plan to organize additional special flights.

"We are in constant contact with our European colleagues, and Estonian citizens are also being placed on special flights organised by other countries," Tsahkna said, adding that regular commercial flights are also gradually resuming.

"I also ask everyone who is still in the region to follow local notifications and instructions," Tsahkna said, emphasizing that people's safety is the most important priority.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is personally assisting Estonian citizens and their family members with Estonian residence permits currently in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait in returning home.

***

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks those who have secured a seat on a special flight to note that flight tickets cannot be changed. The booking link may also reach people who have already returned home; in that case, please ignore the booking link.

All Estonian citizens currently in the Middle East region who have not yet registered their stay are asked to do so on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

If necessary, assistance is available by emailing konsul@mfa.ee or calling the 24/7 emergency phone line +372 5301 9999.

Information is continuously updated on the web consul page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and on the ministry's website here.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!