No immediate evacuation plan: Govt on Indians in Ukraine

India on Thursday said it does not have any immediate plan to evacuate its citizens or the diplomatic staff from Ukraine in view of the unfolding situation there and that its focus has been on ensuring the safety of its nationals than anything largerAmid rising tensions between Russia and the Western countries over the Ukraine crisis Ministry of External Affairs MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has been supportive of an immediate deescalation of tensions and resolution of the situation through sustained diplomatic dialogueAt a media briefing Bagchi said there were a limited number of flights between India and Ukraine under the air bubble arrangement and that the restrictions on the number of flights and the passengers have been removed that would facilitate the return of Indians who want to come backIn response to a question he said Indian carriers are being encouraged to operate charter flights between India and Ukraine and that there are flights through other routes such as Almaty Sharjah Istanbul and DubaiThe embassy on Tuesday advised Indian citizens especially students to temporarily leave that country in view of the uncertainties of the current situationIt also asked Indian nationals to avoid all nonessential travel to and within UkraineOur focus is and remains on Indian citizens Indian students Indian nationals rather than anything larger than that and in terms of what we need to do to ensure that they are safe Bagchi saidHe said the Indian embassy in Kyiv has been in touch with the Indian students in Ukraine and that there is no plan to evacuate the Indians or the diplomatic staffI dont think any decision on evacuation has been taken Our embassy continues to function normally and provide services to Indian nationals in Ukraine As our advisory said those who are engaged in nonessential activities we request them to leave as well as not undertake nonessential travel he saidBagchi said that the situation in Ukraine is a live issue and the Indian embassy in Kyiv is monitoring developmentsHe said at the media briefing that India has been supportive of an immediate deescalation of tensions and resolution of the Ukraine crisis through sustained diplomatic dialogueWe have been supportive of an immediate deescalation of tensions and a resolution of the issue through sustained diplomatic dialogue We also welcome efforts being undertaken under the Normandy format for the implementation of the Minsk agreement he saidThe spokesperson said India also welcomed efforts being undertaken for the implementation of the Minsk agreement noting that New Delhi is not a party to any dialogue to defuse the situationWe would like to see a diplomatic way and a peaceful resolution of the situation Bagchi saidThe Ministry of External Affairs MEA on Wednesday set up a control room to provide information and assistance to Indian nationals in Ukraine In addition the Indian embassy in Ukraine has also set up a 24hour helpline for the Indians in the eastern European nationRussia has positioned around 100000 troops near its border with Ukraine besides sending warships into the Black Sea for naval exercises triggering concerns among the NATO countries about a potential Russian invasion of UkraineRussia has been denying that it plans to invade UkraineThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever