Turkey brings back over 3,000 citizens before Ramadan

KIRKLARELI/VAN- Anadolu Agency

More than 3,000 Turkish nationals were repatriated from cities around the world April 23 as part of an initiative by
Ankara amid the coronavirus pandemic.

After routine health checks were coordinated by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), they were brought to dormitories in several cities in Turkey to be quarantined.

A specially arranged Turkish Airlines flight carrying 363 Turkish citizens left from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku and landed in the Black Sea province of Ordu.

Separately, 182 Turks were evacuated on a flight from Sudan and landed in Batman province. Following health checks, they were sent to Siirt province.

A flight carrying 94 Turks from Serbia landed in Kütahya province.  Turkey evacuated 344 of its citizens on a flight from Algeria which arrived in Gaziantep province.

Meanwhile, 509 people, including 50 German nationals with family ties to Turkish citizens, were brought back on flights from Germany which arrived in the capital Ankara and Adana province.

A total of 166 Turks were evacuated on a flight from Jordan that landed in the Black Sea province of Samsun.

A flight carrying 188 Turkish citizens from Russia landed in the Black Sea province of Kastamonu. Some 150 Turks were evacuated on a flight from Spain and landed in the Black Sea province of Amasya.

Some 291 citizens from Uzbekistan, 295 from Saudi Arabia, 249 from Oman and 349 from Canada were brought to dorms in several Turkish cities.

A total of 217 citizens who were kept in quarantine for 14 days at a dorm in Turkey's Black Sea province of Trabzon also returned to their homes.

They had been brought back from Canada, Kuwait and Georgia.

Furthermore, on April 24 Turkey brought back 2,588 citizens from several countries as part of its ongoing repatriation drive.

The highest number of citizens – 963 – was brought back from France on special flights that landed in Ankara and Istanbul.

A further 326 expats from Switzerland and 286 from Sweden arrived in the northwestern Bursa province and Amasya province along the Black Sea.

A total of 323 citizens returned from Ukraine on a special Turkish Airlines flight that arrived in the eastern Sivas province on April 23 night.

Following mandatory health checks, they were transported to the central Tokat province to be quarantined at a student dormitory.

In the central Nevşehir province, 299 Turkish citizens arrived from Azerbaijan and were placed in quarantine at a student dormitory.

A special flight with 165 Turkish citizens from Germany landed in the Mersin province on April 23.

Another Turkish Airlines flight with 144 citizens from Algeria landed in the central Konya province, while 82 more from Thailand were brought to the İzmir province on the Aegean coast.

All the returning citizens will be in quarantine for 14 days.

At the instruction of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and in coordination with the Foreign Ministry, Turkey has repatriated nearly 25,000 citizens from 59 countries ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.