Over 50 Indian nationals have entered Armenia and Azerbaijan from neighboring Iran, raising the total number of people crossing land borders in recent days to more than 700, according to the external affairs ministry on Tuesday. FILE: Passengers with their luggage at the airport as the second repatriation flight in Beirut. (@IndiaInLebanon X/ANI Photo) (@IndiaInLebanon). The Indian embassy in Tehran is assisting Indian nationals, mainly students and pilgrims, in crossing into Armenia and Azerbaijan via land borders, as Iranian airspace is still closed. Approximately 9,000 Indians were in Iran when Israel and the US initiated military strikes on February 28, sparking the conflict. Follow the latest updates on the US-Iran conflict. Among the 550 Indians who arrived in Armenia in recent days were 284 pilgrims, with 130 of them returning to India on Tuesday, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing. “We have 50 more Indian nationals who have entered Armenia, and a few more in addition to Azerbaijan,” Jaiswal stated. Rajesh Kumar Sinha, special secretary in the shipping ministry, told the briefing that 161 Indian seafarers had been repatriated from West Asia since Monday. He stated that 611 Indian seafarers aboard 22 merchant ships positioned west of the Strait of Hormuz were safe. Jaiswal further noted that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had addressed the West Asia situation with counterparts from several European Union (EU) member states while visiting Brussels this week for a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council. Also Read: PM Modi speaks to UAE President, stresses on safe navigation through Strait of Hormuz. In addition to discussing India-EU relations, he and the foreign ministers from various EU countries addressed global challenges and their impact on energy security. He stated, “The ministers also emphasized the importance of dialogue and diplomacy to achieve an early resolution to this specific conflict.” Aseem Mahajan, additional secretary (Gulf) in the external affairs ministry, noted that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had reopened its airspace following a temporary closure early Tuesday morning.
