Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba has said the government would adopt all possible measures for the security and rescue of the Nepalis living in Israel and Iran in view of the present developing scenario there.
The government is all prepared to rescue those Nepalis willing to return home from these countries, she added.
Minister Rana shared this in a joint meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Home Affairs at Foreign Ministry today.
During the meeting, she shared about the situation developed due to tension between Israel and Iran.
The Foreign Affairs Minister argued that the Nepali Embassy in Israel is actively working at coordination of the Foreign Ministry, and registration has been opened for those Nepalis willing to return home.
"It is also the responsibility of Israel to facilitate the Nepalis, who are in Israel under G2G process, to return them home safely and to send them to a safer place if they want to. The Israeli government has already been requested to help the Nepalis there to go to other countries from border areas for the same," mentioned Foreign Minister Rana.
The government is in a ready position to rescue the Nepalis if they want to return home, she opined.
On the occasion, Labour Minister Sharat Singh Bhandari shared that his ministry is also in constant contact with Nepalis there and the government should be involved in preparation to rescue the Nepalis willing to return home.
He added that work permits have not been issued for those who are about to leave for Israel.
On June 13, the day the war between Israel and Iran broke out, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement appealing to both parties to exercise maximum restraint and resolve the issue through dialogue, while requesting Nepalis in those countries to stay in contact with the Nepali embassy concerned.
Subsequently, on June 15, a travel advisory with contact details was issued, urging Nepalis to adopt maximum vigilance from a security perspective.
With the current closure of air routes in those countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directed all Nepali embassies in the Gulf to facilitate processes such as providing 'online visas' for Nepalis wishing to go to safe locations or neighbouring countries.
The Ministry has also started to collect information from Nepalis by opening an online portal, and so far more than 600 people have registered their details on that portal. This process is still going on.
Likewise, the Ministry issued a travel advisory for the second time last Wednesday, requesting Nepali citizens currently in Israel and Iran to exercise maximum caution for security, and advising not to travel to Israel or other Middle Eastern countries from Nepal.
This week, Foreign Minister Rana met with the Israeli Ambassador to Nepal, Shmulik Arie Bass, requesting the Israeli government to make proper arrangements for the safety of Nepali citizens.
Similarly, the Nepali Embassy in Israel and the Nepali Embassy in Qatar overseeing Iran have been directed to establish close contact with relevant government officials, organizations working in the region, and the Nepali community, and to provide 'real-time reporting' to the ministry regarding the matter.
Currently, there are between 5,500 to 7,000 Nepalis in Israel, and most of them are in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa. Similarly, there are 18 Nepalis in Iran.
