Skopje, 20 April 2026 (MIA) – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timcho Mucunski told journalists Monday the country has successfully evacuated all nationals who asked to be extracted from the Gulf states, stressing that the process is over and there are no plans for new evacuations.

“We organized the charter flights and evacuated all our citizens who, up to that point, requested to be evacuated. The last plane from Dubai was scheduled to be later, but after this process we no longer intend to organize new evacuations,” Mucunski said.

The Foreign Minister stressed all nationals who decided to stay in the region, despite the existing political and security challenges, did so at their own risk.

Mucunski noted that the duty of the state was to enable a safe return for all who requested evacuation, adding that citizens of other countries from the region and of EU member states were also evacuated alongside Macedonian nationals.

Regarding the costs, the Minister said a public procurement with a maximum amount of EUR 1 million was carried out, but added that the final amount will be additionally determined.

“We will check with the services and provide the exact amount of funds spent. It was dependent on the number of realized flights,” Mucunski said in answer to a journalist’s question.

He added that the country decided to fully cover the evacuation costs unlike other countries who requested reimbursement from their citizens, adding that the state should stand with its citizens and take responsibility during times of crisis.

Photo: MIA