The first ship carrying 558 Turkish citizens evacuated from Lebanon has arrived in Mersin.

One of the two ships belonging to the Naval Forces, which evacuated Turkish citizens from Lebanon, TCG Bayraktar, has brought 558 passengers to Mersin Port. While the evacuated citizens expressed their emotions, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Burhanettin Duran stated, "The Turkish state finds and brings its citizens wherever they are; we have experienced an example of this."

THE DEPUTY MINISTER WELCOMED THEM

With the coordination of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Defense, two ships belonging to the Naval Forces went to Lebanon yesterday upon the instruction of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to evacuate citizens wishing to leave Lebanon due to Israeli attacks. The amphibious ship TCG Bayraktar of the Naval Forces Command brought 558 passengers to Mersin Port. The passengers were welcomed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Burhanettin Duran and Mersin Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan. The elderly, sick, and children were evacuated first and taken to their accommodation places by waiting ambulances and minibuses.

"ISRAEL HIT BUILDINGS AND PEOPLE"

Büşra Gülbaba, one of the evacuated citizens who stated that they were traveling to Lebanon with her husband, said, "When our flights were canceled, we were stuck there. We requested evacuation from our country. Our state provided the evacuation. We came to our country safely, thank God. Our journey went well; our army supported us a lot during this process. We arrived safely, and we are very happy." Another evacuee, Adem Bahri, stated that their journey went very well, saying, "May our state live long." Sevim Şakir, who reported that there was no food or water in the area they were in and that they felt trapped, said that Israel hit buildings and people. Şakir continued, "We came to our country; I will kiss the soil. Our journey went very well; they did not leave us. May God bless them."

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Burhanettin Duran stated that they were aware of the concerns brought about by Israel's recent attacks on Lebanon after the massacres it carried out in Gaza. Duran said, "We are very pleased to have welcomed our citizens safely after a long and exhausting journey. Today, we have brought our valuable citizens to our country. Here are our citizens who were brought from Lebanon. The Turkish state finds and brings its citizens wherever they are; we have experienced an example of this."

"REPORTS THAT FOREIGN NATIONALS WERE GIVEN PRIORITY ARE FALSE"

Duran expressed that institutions were evaluating the security situation regarding Israel's shift towards Lebanon after the massacres it carried out in Gaza, and continued: "In this context, our relevant institutions and ministries came together to bring our citizens in Lebanon, especially in Beirut, to our country in the safest way possible. Plans were prepared considering every possibility. The Coordination and Support Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs played a role in coordinating the process as an Emergency Crisis Center. Similarly, our Consulate Call Center, which operates 24/7, recorded the applications of citizens who wanted to be included in the evacuation. After obtaining the necessary permissions from the Lebanese authorities, we acted swiftly to bring our citizens to our country as quickly and safely as possible. With the instructions of our President, today, 966 of our citizens are safely returning to our country with our ships that have gone to Lebanon. It is evident how happy we are that their families have reunited with our Turkey."

Duran also emphasized that reports claiming that foreign nationals were given priority on the evacuation ships were not true, stating that the evacuated citizens' immediate family members were naturally accepted onto the ship, and that no Turkish citizens who came to the assembly area were turned away. He added that no other foreign nationals who were not immediate relatives were allowed on the ship. It was noted that TCG Sancaktar, carrying 378 passengers, would also arrive at the port in the coming hours.