ASTANA – Kazakhstan has carried out a rapid and extensive operation to evacuate its citizens from Iran amid growing instability in the Middle East.
Photo credit: gov.kz
Over several days, Kazakh diplomats worked around the clock, maintaining contact with local authorities, assisting citizens with documentation, and coordinating travel logistics. More than 200 individual appeals were processed in a short time. Continuous communication was maintained with Kazakh citizens across Iran, and their movement was organized along pre-arranged transit routes. In total, 109 citizens were evacuated from the conflict zone and brought home safely.
Among those evacuated was Yerbol Bukharbayev from Almaty, who had traveled to Iran to attend an investment summit. On the night of June 13, just a day before his scheduled departure, rocket attacks began in Tehran.
“When shelling is happening right outside your hotel, it’s an unpleasant feeling. You don’t know what to do, you can’t leave, you can’t go outside. You feel trapped in a vicious circle,” Bukharbayev said, as quoted by the 24KZ news agency.
“Once we finally landed, there was an overwhelming sense of relief. I am deeply grateful to the Foreign Ministry for their swift action,” he added.
Mariyam Kazak, a resident of Aktau, had been visiting relatives in Iran for over two months. She recalled the final days in the conflict zone with horror.
Mariyam Kazakh, a resident of Aktau who had been visiting relatives in Iran for over two months, arrived safely in Kazakhstan. Photo credit: gov.kz
“In this critical situation, the only option was to contact the embassy. I was immediately added to the evacuation list,” she said.
Evacuated citizens were first transported to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and then flown on a special flight to Astana.
“First of all, I want to thank the Kazakh President for ensuring our safe return. The Foreign Ministry staff did everything — they met us at the border, handled the paperwork, and arranged the special flight. Now we’re finally reunited with our families, who were so worried,” Kazak said.
Mariya Paviz, one of the evacuated citizens, also thanked the diplomats for their prompt response. “I contacted the consulate in Gorgan just in time. A vehicle with Kazakh citizens was already on its way to Turkmenistan, so there was no time to lose,” she said.
On June 20, the Foreign Ministry evacuated 66 Kazakh citizens from Israel via Egypt, and another 78 citizens from Iran – 73 through Armenia, two through Azerbaijan, and three through Turkmenistan.
The Kazakh diplomats in Iran and Israel continue to provide consular and legal assistance to citizens on the ground.
