A group of Portuguese stranded in Qatar due to the conflict in the Middle East yesterday expressed to Lusa their dissatisfaction with the lack of “viable solutions” to leave the region by the Portuguese Government.
In response to Lusa, A source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that there is a solution and that this is “fairly being addressed and will not be publicly disclosed to guarantee the safety of national citizens”.
Lusa sought to obtain further clarification on the situation of the Portuguese stranded in the Middle East, including in Qatar, but it was not possible to obtain a response.
Three Portuguese who arrived in Qatar on February 27th, but ended up being detained due to the start of the Israeli-American attack on Iran, which resulted in Tehran’s response against several Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar, expressed dissatisfaction with the proposal presented today by the Portuguese Embassy in Doha.
According to the communication to stranded Portuguese citizens, to which the Lusa agency had access, land transport is proposed for Riyadh, made available “especially to Portuguese stranded in Qatar, that is, who were here on tourism or in transit at the time of the airspace closure”.
The Portuguese embassy highlighted in the same communication that the transport “only goes to Riyadh” and that citizens must make a reservation on a commercial flight “scheduled with the possibility of changing the date”, before traveling by bus.
“Taking into account the instructions from the Qatari authorities to remain sheltered at home and avoid going out, the Embassy can organize and ensure land transport to Riyadh, but cannot guarantee safety during the journey or at any point during the journey. The decision to participate in this transport is, therefore, strictly personal and the exclusive responsibility of each citizen, and the risks associated with movement in the region at this time must be considered, including any changes related to Saudi Arabia’s airspace. Participation implies prior signature of an individual responsibility term”, it can also be read.
José Camilo, one of the three Portuguese stranded in Qatar who spoke to the Lusa agency, stressed that since the beginning of the conflict and the closure of the airspace, they have been staying in a hotel at their own expense and have been in contact with Portuguese diplomacy to find a solution.
On Wednesday night, the embassy sent this proposal to a group on the social network WhatsApp with 56 people, which José Camilo considers “completely impractical”.
“There is effective responsibility on the part of the Portuguese Government, now and in the future, because it has induced us to remain in this passivity. If we are doing poorly, we have family members who are much more concerned thanks to the stance that the Portuguese Government is taking”, he pointed out, questioning how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “does not have the capacity to deal with 56 repatriations”.
These Portuguese, who were on a tourist trip and stopped in Qatar before returning to Lisbon, consider the embassy’s proposal to be unreasonable as it only provides land transport to Riyadh at a stage where there is no guarantee of leaving Saudi Arabia.
“At this stage, there is a likelihood that things will get even worse. Qatar still has means of defense, but it can be seen that these means are not infinite”, highlighted José Camilo.
This Portuguese man also said that he responded to the proposal expressing his concerns, and added that more Portuguese people asked for additional explanations in the same WhatsApp group, but said that until 23:00 (Portuguese time) they had been “without a response for four hours”.
The group of Portuguese who spoke to Lusa also asked for a “lower risk solution” to return to Portugal.
Lusa
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