Efforts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to free Greeks and their families from Sudan continue intensively, with the number of those who managed to leave the region reaching 43, with the number expected to increase further during the day, according to senior diplomatic sources.

A 72-hour ceasefire agreed between the warring parties in Sudan under the auspices of the United States comes into effect today after 10 days of fighting, with the same sources expressing optimism that the truce will hold.

In particular, at the moment, according to diplomatic sources, 43 citizens of interest to Greece have been released from Khartoum. Of these, 17 citizens arrived in Greece in the morning, and seven more Greeks are arriving by road in Egypt today.

Among them, both are injured, one is in serious condition 401, and the second is not in danger.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs without a camera lens the Greeks who arrived in Athens today, who thanked him for the successful release.

About 80 Greek citizens and their family members remain in Khartoum and the goal is to leave immediately. According to the same sources, efforts are being made to have a Greek S-130 land in Khartoum and, if conditions permit, pick up those left behind.

Seventeen Cypriot citizens still remain there and the goal is to release them either from Greece or the UK.

Greek diplomats are in Aqaba, Djibouti, Aswan and Cairo to welcome the citizens who have escaped to freedom and to provide them with any assistance. Moving as a diplomat to Khartoum is also being considered, if necessary and possible, the same sources note.

The help of France, the Netherlands and Italy was especially valuable in the liberation of the Greeks, and the UAE and Egypt agreed with the two belligerent military not to hit three points given by the Foreign Ministry with coordinates where the citizens of Greece are located, including the Metropolis.

Background of Greek initiatives

OURHow do you spell “K” today?, many and varied disengagement operations mask intensive background consultations between Athens and Greece’s main partners in NATO and Europe. Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias first spoke with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukri, ensuring that the air force could use the airport in the south of the country, as it did with the deployment of C-130 and C-27 aircraft. happened in Aswan. From the very beginning, Greek diplomacy did not want to bypass Egypt for reasons of principle, but also for possible operational reasons.

N. Dendias also spoke with his colleagues from France, Catherine Colonna, from Italy, Antonio Tajani and from Germany, Analena Burbock, both before and after the arrival of the first Greeks in Djibouti, accompanied by the forces of specific countries, to ensure access to the possibility of transporting Greeks and Greek Cypriots.

The connection with Paris, Berlin and Rome was not accidental, since these forces took turns taking control of the territory of the air base on the outskirts of Khartoum, from where planes take off with evacuees to Djibouti and from there to Europe.

Already on Friday and Saturday, the necessary contacts were established with the American side both at the diplomatic and military levels.

J. Zuni Update

Mr. Dendias communicated Greece’s intentions to US Ambassador George Tsuni and asked for help, as the Americans have one of the two largest bases in Djibouti in this small country in the Horn of Africa.

American military cover for all these operations was considered a necessary condition for their successful completion, although it is known that the Americans rarely act in such cases in cooperation with other forces.

In addition to the United States, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Japan and Saudi Arabia have bases of various sizes in Djibouti.

with information from APE-MPE