site.btaUPDATED Bulgaria Plans Second Evacuation Flight from Lebanon Tuesday Noon

Caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said that the second evacuation flight from Lebanon will be carried out on Tuesday around noon, provided the circumstances are favorable. Glavchev spoke to journalists during the opening of the reconstructed Kalotina border control checkpoint. 

The Prime Minister specified that the flight crew was ready to leave Lebanon on Monday. So far 61 Bulgarian citizen have been registered after presenting proper documentation. Glavchev added that, if the plane is not filled with Bulgarians by noon, seats will be offered to citizens from other EU member states.

On Monday, the first Bulgarians evacuated from Lebanon returned home on a flight from Beirut.

Glavchev recalled that according to data from the Foreign Ministry and the Bulgarian embassy there, there are 400 Bulgarian citizens in Lebanon. Of them, 89 were evacuated on Monday, he added.

The Prime Minister noted that more people ready to evacuate may come at any moment. He added that he prefers to carry out the flight faster, while there is still an opportunity for such a flight, as the situation is very dynamic, and noted that that the evacuation also depends on the processing of the documents at the Bulgarian embassy.

Glavchev assured that the Bulgarian and partner services are monitoring the situation, and expressed gratitude to Bulgaria's partners for helping make Monday's flight possible.

When asked what is Bulgaria's position on Israel's operation in Lebanon, the Prime Minister replied: "Bulgaria's position must be expressed and clear. I don't know what change you expect in the position. The position of Bulgaria is the same as the position of all member states of the European Union. As is the European position, so is the Bulgarian one".

When asked how the proximity of this conflict will change the security environment in the region, the caretaker Prime Minister said: "The environment has been changed for a long time. It's a hotbed of tension that doesn't bode well. NATO as a bloc is taking its measures and is prepared to react to the situation. It is not pleasant, to say the least, what is happening. The environment is unstable. The situation has been monitored for a long time, such a development was expected."

Dimitar Glavchev also answered a question about information regarding the Bulgarian sailors who are still on a hijacked ship in Yemen. "There is damage in the port, the ship was not damaged, and the Bulgarian hostages were not injured. The coordinates where the Bulgarian hostages and the vessel are located were indicated. When such operations are performed, they are quite precise. All institutions are making efforts for their release. The bad thing is that, in connection with what is happening now, the situation with the Houthis in Yemen is even more complicated," he commented. 

"We have not stopped making efforts since the beginning. MEP Elena Yoncheva also got involved. We provided her with logistical assistance. The situation is difficult and very delicate. We have to be careful in our actions because the Houthis are very sensitive and have set conditions that I cannot share," said Glavchev, stressing that the most important thing is to save the two Bulgarians on board.