Remaining in shelters, registering in the Odysseus program, using the hotline launched in Poland – open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. – these were the recommendations given to Poles staying in Middle Eastern countries by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government is not planning an evacuation of Polish citizens. It is counting on them to return home “on commercial terms” once flights resume. “This shows that for this government, protecting its own citizens is not a priority. You don’t have to be a genius to have known for some time what could happen in this region,” Zbigniew Rau, former head of the Foreign Ministry, told Codzienna. He emphasized that any assistance operation requires preparations made in advance of a crisis. “That was not done, the facts were ignored,” Rau added.
Yesterday, during a special press conference, spokesperson Maciej Wewiór announced that the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no information about any Polish citizens injured in connection with the operation by the United States and Israel against Iran. At the same time, he said the number of Poles staying in the conflict region could reach into the thousands.
“In the United Arab Emirates alone, 10,000 people have registered in the Odysseus program,” Wewiór said, assessing that the number of Polish citizens present in the Middle East is many times higher.
Asked how the Polish government intends to assist these individuals in returning home – as flights from the region have largely been suspended – the Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that in the case of countries such as the United Arab Emirates, the best solution at present is “to remain where you are, preferably in shelters, and to follow the instructions of local security services.”
As the airspace in the region is closed, the government is not planning an evacuation operation. Asked whether he was aware that, among others, the Czech authorities intend to send planes for their citizens, Wewiór said that “this is a completely different scale,” as there are 900 Czechs in the region, compared to thousands of Polish citizens.
The Foreign Ministry “Sees No Point”
The spokesperson referred to the “scale of the challenge,” namely the several dozen Polish consular staff stationed in the Middle East. “In the UAE there are four people and the head of mission, in Saudi Arabia three people who must assist thousands,” Wewiór revealed.
At the same time, he stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “sees no point” in sending additional personnel to the region. So what concrete measures has the ministry launched to assist Poles? journalists asked.
“We have launched a hotline in Poland, which operates during peak hours [+48 22 523 8880, open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. – editor’s note], we are asking people to update their stay dates in the Odysseus program [the MFA’s online platform – editor’s note], and if necessary to contact our consular offices. The UAE authorities have ensured extended stays and meals for those who cannot leave the Emirates due to suspended flights [hundreds of Poles are reportedly stranded at Dubai airport during layovers, according to social media reports – editor’s note],” Wewiór said. He stressed that Polish consular offices have been operating 24 hours a day since Saturday.
As Codzienna has learned, Poles staying in the Middle East may nevertheless feel confused. On the X profile of the Polish embassy in the UAE, the statements delivered by Wewiór in Poland were not published. Only a letter in English addressed to hotel authorities in Dubai was posted, appealing for accommodation and meals for tourists, along with contact details for the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. A banner with the Polish hotline number and information that consular numbers are available 24 hours a day were also posted. That was all Poles could find yesterday afternoon on the X account of the Polish embassy in the UAE.
We Warned You
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson recalled that the ministry had long warned against travel to that part of the world and had appealed to travel agencies not to offer trips to the Middle East or transit through countries in the region.
“Unfortunately, such offers are still being addressed to customers,” Wewiór said, adding that the ministry has no instruments to prohibit such practices.
As verified on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ X account, a warning regarding travel concerned Israel and was published on February 24. Only on the afternoon of February 27 did a broader warning about the situation in the Middle East appear, and on February 28 – at the moment the attack on Iran had already begun – an explicit appeal was made to cancel travel to: Iran, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Palestine.
Wewiór did not answer the question whether the head of the Foreign Ministry, Radosław Sikorski, had contacted the Americans, and how many times. “We have established a crisis team, we are in constant contact with our EU partners, and Poland’s voice within the EU will be more audible,” Wewiór stated.