Egypt coordinates with Saudi, Oman to return willing nationals from Yemen - Foreign Ministry

Monday 30-03-2015 09:38 PM
Egypt coordinates with Saudi, Oman to return willing nationals from Yemen - Foreign Ministry
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CAIRO, Mar 30 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's Foreign Ministry is coordinating with Saudi Arabia and Oman for the return of Egyptians wishing to leave Yemen through land crossings, amid security concerns.

The Egyptians will cross the Saudi and Omani borders at points determined by the two countries, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The number of Egyptians in Yemen is between 6,000 and 7,000 workers, according to government figures.

Egypt's Manpower Minister Nahed al-Ashri said in a press release earlier today that the ministry is preparing a free application to count the workers likely to return from the restive country.

The Foreign Ministry said Omani authorities approved of allowing Egyptians to cross the Yemeni-Omani border at two crossing points. 

The ministry said it is coordinating with the Egyptian Embassy in Oman to prepare for cases in which citizens do not have a valid passport or are incapable of buying plane tickets to Egypt.    

It added that Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri made calls with Saudi counterpart Prince Saud al-Faisal to determine the crossing point for Egyptians into the kingdom. 

Egypt is part of a Saudi-led coalition which launched military operations against the Houthis in Yemen last week, after the Shia rebel movement made advances onto the Yemeni south.

The coalition says its operations come in response to a request by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who called for an Arab intervention in his country. 

The Egyptian ambassador to Yemen is currently in Egypt. The embassy had shut down temporarily in January and shut down once again in February. It then relocated to Aden in the South, where Hadi resided but the ambassador and staff evacuated after the Houthis' recent advances.

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