Kazakhstan Reports No Casualties Among Citizens in Middle East, Evacuation Plans Underway

Amid the escalating military-political situation in the Middle East, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and its diplomatic missions abroad are operating in an enhanced mode. The country's foreign institutions in the region are conducting continuous monitoring, maintaining constant contact with local authorities and Kazakh citizens.

Diplomatic staff are in round-the-clock communication with citizens via emergency hotlines and operational chat groups in messengers, updating lists of Kazakh nationals present in the region and in transit zones. As of the current moment, there have been no reports of casualties among citizens of Kazakhstan.

The latest data indicates that the largest numbers of Kazakh citizens in the escalation zone are traditionally located in countries that are popular tourist destinations, pilgrimage sites, and major transit hubs. Specifically, there are 3,500 citizens in the UAE, approximately 3,000 in Saudi Arabia (KSA), and about 1,500 in Qatar.

Regarding other states in the region, diplomatic missions have the following data: 82 citizens are in Iran, 168 in Bahrain, 134 each in Kuwait and Jordan, and about 100 people in Israel.

Airspace is closed across most countries of the region following the start of hostilities. Given that airlines are forced to cancel flights, Kazakhstan's foreign institutions are working jointly with tourism companies on temporary accommodation for citizens. It is noted that Kazakh citizens have been provided with hotel accommodation and meals until the situation stabilizes.

Measures and routes for a possible evacuation from escalation zones are being developed. For security reasons, local authorities do not recommend independent travel. In case an evacuation flight is organized, priority will be given to vulnerable categories: elderly people, women, and children.

A previous operation evacuated 50 Kazakh citizens from Tehran. Following this work by foreign institutions of Kazakhstan agreements have been reached with competent authorities of foreign states to assist in evacuating citizens from Iran through neighboring countries.

With Armenia a question has been agreed upon for unimpeded crossing of the Iranian-Armenian border by Kazakh citizens if evacuated through Armenian territory. Similar work has been conducted with Azerbaijan which expressed readiness to assist regarding evacuation issues though crossing land border sections requires special permission due to restricted access regimes.

Turkmenistan also confirmed its readiness to assist ensuring state border crossing for evacuating Kazakhstani nationals. Work continues continuously; additional clarifications will be published on official resources.

The Foreign Ministry has deployed modern digital tools including Kaspi infrastructure for operational information delivery ensuring timely communication via mobile devices until full regional stabilization urging calm adherence to local authority requirements avoidance high-risk zones understanding temporary restrictions while closely monitoring official communications.