Skopje, 12 October 2023 (MIA) – A Tel Aviv - Skopje charter flight is to be organized on Friday in order to evacuate all Macedonian nationals who want to leave Israel and who have requested to return to North Macedonia, said the Government of North Macedonia in a press release Thursday.

Amidst cancelled flights, the Government said it has overcome the challenge of organizing a charter flight in cooperation with Air Serbia. The flight, which is set to depart on Friday, will be free of charge for citizens who have requested assistance, and the costs will be covered from North Macedonia’s Budget reserves, said the press release.

In order to ensure an efficient organization of the flight, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the country’s diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv, has received information on Macedonian nationals who are currently in Israel and have requested assistance in order to return to North Macedonia.

In a Facebook post earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said that a free evacuation flight from Tel Aviv to Skopje has been secured.

“Tomorrow they should already be safe and in their homes,” wrote Kovachevski.

In the post, Kovachevski said it was a real challenge to organize the flight, and voiced gratitude to the Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabić.

“Upon my initiative, and in talks with the Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, we will bring our citizens back home with an Air Serbia flight. I am grateful to her and everyone else involved in the process, we are once again demonstrating goodneighborly relations through actions,” wrote Kovachevski.

In a press release earlier on Thursday, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said that 60 Macedonian nationals have been evacuated from Israel thus far, out of a total of 150 who have requested assistance. The Minister said the remaining 90 are to be evacuated on Friday.

Photo: EPA