Citizens of Kazakhstan received letters of appreciation for their active participation in returning compatriots amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Citizens of Kazakhstan received letters of appreciation for their active participation in returning compatriots amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Nur-Sultan, March 4, 2021 - Letters of appreciation on behalf of Mukhtar Tileuberdi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, were presented during a ceremony to Mr. Temirlan Zakir and Ms. Olga Zhabina for their practical assistance and patriotism demonstrated during the return to Kazakhstan of fellow citizens amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020.

The event was hosted with the participation of the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Mr. Shakhrat Nuryshev. Erlan Iskakov, the Head of the Foreign Ministry Representative Office, presented the letter of appreciation in Almaty.

Those nominated for the award actively participated in the arrangement of a special flight on April 29, 2020 on the Larnaca–Varna–Aktau route by military transport aircraft of the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan for evacuation of 32 citizens from Cyprus and 2 citizens from Bulgaria.

Due to the global spread of coronavirus, this group of Kazakh citizens was among many people left in a difficult situation with almost no means of support. The passengers on this flight included mothers with children, pregnant women and students.

Another difficult circumstance in arranging the flight was the absence of a foreign representation of Kazakhstan in Cyprus, prompting Mr. Aibol Alipov, the Consul of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Bulgaria, to be temporarily sent to Larnaca to resolve logistics issues.

Despite the challenges, thanks to well-coordinated efforts of the diplomats and our fellow citizens, all passengers were able to return home safely.

Overall, since the beginning of the pandemic (as of the end of 2020), more than 33,000 citizens of Kazakhstan have been evacuated from 72 countries with the assistance of the Operational Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan on countering the spread of COVID-19 and foreign institutions of Kazakhstan.