13476 | 6 March 2026 | 11:05

Our priority is for Bulgarian citizens to return to their homeland.

Prime Minister Andrey Gyurow is seeking a way for American planes to be relocated from Sofia's civilian airport. He has requested an analysis from the Minister of Defense to determine if they can be transferred elsewhere.

 This became clear during today's flash control in parliament. The American planes have been at the capital's airport since February 19. The decision for them was made on February 17 and 18 - in the last two working days of the "Zhelyazkov" cabinet, after Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov received a note from our allies prior to the formation of the new government.

 "In this crisis situation, this is something that provides protection, that guarantees the security of Bulgarian citizens in the country. We will continue to fulfill our obligations," Gyurow pointed out.

 Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neinski explained a few days ago that the tanker aircraft are here for training purposes. The USA has the right to deploy up to 15 aircraft by the end of May. Concerns have arisen that if they participate in the war with Iran, this could also threaten Bulgaria, but today the prime minister reassured once again: "On the territory of our country and in our airspace, no actions related to the actions of the USA and Israel are taken."

 The prime minister provided details on the efforts to evacuate Bulgarians stranded in the Middle East. And to the accusations that the country has not done enough, he responded that the United Kingdom has only started evacuating its people yesterday.

 The airspace of the UAE is now open and civil flights can take place. The Prime Minister is working together with the Ministry of Tourism and has tasked all tour operators to organize the repatriation of their clients as quickly as possible.

 Yesterday at 2:15 pm, a flight from Abu Dhabi arrived with 85 people on board operated by the State Aviation Squadron. At 3:30 pm, a flight from Dubai arrived with 326 people on board operated by "Gulliver". At 7:45 pm, a flight from Dubai arrived with 180 people on board operated by "Bulgaria Air". The next scheduled flight from Dubai on "Gulliver" is confirmed to arrive at 1:30 am on March 7 with 326 passengers. On March 5 at 5:50 pm, a flight from Salalah arrived with 111 people from Oman operated by "Bulgaria Air". Another 7 people have left the country with the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through individual routes.

 21 people have been evacuated from Bahrain (14), Saudi Arabia (6), and Qatar (1) on an Austrian flight from Riyadh to Vienna via the cooperation mechanism. The airspace of Qatar remains closed, and there are still Bulgarians there. Work is being done with allied countries to evacuate them, considering options to do so by land through Saudi Arabia, and then by flight from Riyadh. 310 requests for evacuation have been received so far. 14 people have been evacuated from Israel with the help of another country from the European Union. They have arrived by land at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. Assistance is being provided to two other Bulgarians. The airspace of Kuwait remains closed and 11 Bulgarians have sought help from there. The first group of three Bulgarians will be transported to Riyadh, and then flown out on a commercial flight.

 On March 4th, instructions were sent to evacuate the staff at the embassy in Tehran, Iran. Ten people - six employees and four family members - have left Tehran by land early yesterday morning. They have already crossed the border with Azerbaijan, although there has been a delay due to bombings. Another Bulgarian woman, who wants to leave Iran, is being assisted by the Embassy in Baghdad and is expected to be taken to Iraq today. 130 Bulgarian tourists from tour operators have received assistance to leave Jordan. 20 people have been evacuated by land from and through the borders with Turkey and Jordan. "Our priority is for Bulgarian citizens to return to their homeland, after which we will clarify the situation with the tour operators and payment for these flights, which is the responsibility of the tour operators in principle," added the Prime Minister.