The Bulgarian Government has decided to
send an airplane as part of the international effort to diffuse the humanitarian
crisis at the Libyan-Tunisian border. The plane, which left for Djerba
in Tunisia at 16.00 UCT, will assist in airlifting stranded Egyptian nationals
fleeing from Libya to Cairo. Flights will commence from Djerba later tonight.
The plane is expected to complete its mission and return to Sofia on Monday.
...05.03.2011 17:00 (2 )
The Bulgarian Government has decided to send an airplane as part of the
international effort to diffuse the humanitarian crisis at the Libyan-Tunisian
border. The plane, which left for Djerba in Tunisia at 16.00 UCT, will
assist in airlifting stranded Egyptian nationals fleeing from Libya to
Cairo. Flights will commence from Djerba later tonight. The plane is expected
to complete its mission and return to Sofia on Monday.
"The Middle East is very close to us and neither Bulgaria nor the EU can afford to sit and watch the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Libya without providing all the necessary assistance", Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov said. "Unfortunately, there are tens of thousands Egyptians, who seem to be unable to leave Libya. Bulgaria has reached out to the governments of Tunisia and Egypt and agreed to help in this time of need", he added.
The European Commission estimates that over 100 000 third-country nationals are attempting to leave Libya and reach their respective countries of origin. The biggest group among them, at least 15 000, are citizens of Egypt.