The final group of Monégasque nationals stranded in the Middle East arrived home on Sunday, completing an emergency repatriation operation that began when the United States and Israel launched a major military offensive against Iran.

When fighting broke out in the early hours of Saturday 28th February — killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggering retaliatory Iranian strikes across the region — airports including Zayed International Airport in the UAE and Kuwait International Airport were struck, leaving travellers stranded across the Gulf. By that Sunday evening, the Prince’s Government had identified 60 Monégasque nationals and residents caught up in the crisis, all of whom were in contact with authorities. The government urged those affected to follow safety guidelines issued by local authorities and to maintain contact with the Principality.

All those concerned were in Doha and Dubai at the time of the first strikes. Over the days that followed, the government’s crisis unit worked to bring them home, with Isabelle Berro-Amadéi, Minister-Counsellor for External Relations and Cooperation, and Benjamin Valli, Director of Diplomatic and Consular Relations, present at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport on Sunday 8th March to receive the final arrivals.

The Prince’s Government credited the operation’s success to a swift and coordinated response from its crisis cell, active continuously since 28th February. It extended particular thanks to Ambassador Evelyne Genta, Monaco’s envoy to the United Arab Emirates, and to the Directorate of Diplomatic and Consular Relations throughout.

In a statement, the government said it wished “to pay tribute to the composure, patience and sense of responsibility shown by the Monégasque nationals concerned throughout this trying period,” and extended its best wishes to all of them “for a happy reunion with their families.”

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Photo credit: Cassandra Tanti