Đokić: Data of BiH citizens wishing to evacuate from UAE are being collected, none of them were injured

(Patria) - Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Arab Emirates Bojan Đokić, confirmed for N1 as a guest that all BiH citizens in this country are safe after massive Iranian attacks.

Although about 700 projectiles have been fired at the UAE in the past two days, and three people were killed by their debris, Đokić points out that the situation is under control, but that key airports in the region are closed. The embassy has already formed teams for potential evacuation and is in constant contact with hundreds of our citizens and tourists in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Đokić stated that there is concern, but that the situation is currently calm.

"About 700 projectiles have been fired towards the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the last two days and all have been shot down. It is important to say that the photos you see and follow in the media reports are actually debris from those projectiles shot down by the UAE air defense. There is concern, but the situation is normal, people are moving and functioning normally," said Đokić, adding:

"All people in the UAE, whether they have foreign or local numbers, are receiving messages from the authorities about behavior and movement. So, when there is an air threat, everyone receives that warning not via message but through a separate application on their phone, in the form of a separate message, whether to stay in their homes or if the situation is calm and they can go out."

He explained that the projectiles were fired from the start towards the American base in Abu Dhabi and the Mina Jabal Ali port in Dubai.

"Since the Mina Jabal Ali port is located at the very entrance to Dubai, and when these projectiles were intercepted, they fell near beaches and certain well-known hotel complexes for that reason. Three people were killed by that debris and 57 were injured. Fortunately, none of our citizens (BiH) were injured, and we are in constant communication with most of them, or all of them who have contacted us. Most tourists are actually in Dubai, there were some problems with accommodation, but we are trying to resolve that with friends in the UAE, and it is important to emphasize that the Emirates government has decided to cover the costs of extending the stay for all people in certain hotel accommodations or guesthouses until the situation calms down. And through the media, we are calling on all our people, if they have accommodation problems, to contact the embassy, and we hope to resolve that problem successfully," Đokić added.

Furthermore, Đokić said that a WhatsApp group has been formed for potential evacuation. The UAE has not yet decided to evacuate foreign citizens from the country because the situation is under control, but if it happens, we are preventively collecting contacts of all our people who would potentially be interested in evacuation if it occurs. We already have several hundred contacts in that group, and the situation has stabilized in that regard since yesterday because all those who were more or less interested in evacuation have already registered by now," emphasized the BiH Ambassador to the UAE.

He said that the airspace over Bahrain and Kuwait is closed, as are all international airports.

"So there is no possibility of flying out. The Emirates authorities are actually urging everyone not to go to the airports. There is a certain number of people stranded at the airport - about 20,000, and these are mostly citizens of countries that require a visa to enter the Emirates. Citizens of BiH have not needed this visa since December 2023, so even if someone was stranded at the airport, they could leave it and enter the country. No one has asked us for help regarding being stranded or in any kind of trouble. We had a situation where two people requested accommodation, but we managed to resolve that," Đokić added.

Dammam, as he stated, is the only airport in Saudi Arabia that is closed, while Riyadh, Medina, Muscat, and Jeddah are open.

"However, the problem for BiH citizens who do not have visas is entering Saudi Arabia and Oman. Although there are flights from Muscat and S. Arabia, they must first obtain a visa to enter those territories at all, so this poses problems for those who want to evacuate in this way. On the other hand, this is not a problem for our citizens who are residents in the Emirates, because anyone who has an Emirates ID and a BiH passport can enter Oman and fly from Muscat, which is operational. I have information that people are traveling to and from the Emirates via Muscat," Đokić said, among other things.