Foreign ministry sends more diplomats to help evacuate Jordanians from Ukraine

AMMAN — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday announced that it sent additional diplomats to regions bordering Ukraine in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary in response to overcrowding at border crossings as well as the opening of new crossings that will help receive those leaving Ukraine.

The ministry is closely following the status of Jordanians in Ukraine via the Crisis Cell in the ministry’s Operations Centre Unit in coordination with the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management and other relevant government agencies. 

The ministry is also working with Jordan’s embassies and their representatives at border crossings in Ukraine’s neighbouring countries: Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova.

The ministry renewed its call for Jordanian citizens to take extreme precautions if they plan to leave Ukraine, particularly in light of reports of ongoing fighting operations throughout the country in addition to the national state of emergency and the curfew in force in some regions.

The ministry emphasised that Jordanian citizens who choose to travel must use secure means of transport that avoid exposing them to unnecessary danger and take roads that are known to be safe. They should also take into account that the situation on the ground is rapidly changing, meaning that certain roads are experiencing more traffic than others while some routes are closed because of damaged bridges and other infrastructure.

Since the beginning of the crisis, the ministry has sent additional diplomats to border crossings in countries neighbouring Ukraine in order to help Jordanians evacuate and provide any support they need, including help returning to Jordan for those who want to.

The ministry also stressed that Ukrainian border crossings are dealing with overcrowding, meaning that some lines stretch for multiple kilometres and that waits could last as long as 48 hours at certain crossings. 

Because of this, the ministry advised Jordanian citizens to seek out crossings with shorter lines, which they can find by staying in touch with other Jordanians in Ukraine and exchanging information with people at different crossings. 

The ministry cautioned that conditions at each crossing can change rapidly and without warning, meaning that those seeking to leave Ukraine should bring extra food, drinks, warm clothes and other basic necessities.

Jordanians should only head to a border crossing after making sure that they have all necessary documents, or at least copies of them, the ministry added.

Since the beginning of military operations in Ukraine, more than 458 Jordanian citizens (145 of whom are students) have passed from Ukraine to Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary or Moldova. 

Representatives of the foreign ministry and embassy employees immediately helped them meet their basic needs and supplied consular documents to those who needed them. 

In addition, agents secured train or bus transport for some Jordanians and helped others get to the airport in order to return to Jordan. So far, 25 people have returned to the Kingdom.