PM Wong thanks UAE President for supporting, assisting Singaporeans there

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Saturday (March 7) thanked United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan for his country's assistance to Singaporeans residing there.

In a Facebook post on Saturday afternoon, PM Wong said he discussed the escalating situation in the Middle East with the UAE president earlier in the day.

PM Wong thanked Sheik Mohamed for UAE officials' support and assistance to Singaporeans residing there.

"Our officials have been working closely together to ensure Singaporeans remain safe, and to facilitate arrangements for those who wish to return home," PM Wong wrote.

He added that a protracted conflict in the Middle East will have "serious consequences" for the world and expressed his hope that the parties involved will find ways to de-escalate and restore stability to the region.

The prime minister also said that Singapore values its "close friendship" with the UAE, and stands in solidarity with the UAE and its people during what he described as a "challenging time".

'We will continue doing everything we can'

In an earlier post on Thursday, PM Wong said he had received messages from Singaporeans overseas who are concerned about returning home amid the situation in the Middle East.

He said the safety and well-being of Singaporeans remain the Government's top priority, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its overseas missions are working around the clock to assist those affected.

"We will continue doing everything we can to help Singaporeans in the region who wish to come back safely," PM Wong wrote.

So far, two repatriation flights have been planned for, with the first of two such flights enroute to Singapore at the time of this article's publication.

Operated by national carrier Singapore Airlines, flight SQ8001, is expected to land at Changi Airport's Terminal 3 at 9.20pm on Saturday night.

It took off at around 2.45pm on Saturday afternoon.

Earlier on Friday, two groups of Singaporeans in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in UAE embarked on five hour bus rides to Muscat. 

The Singapore Tourism Board is also assisting non-resident travellers in Singapore — whose travel arrangements between Feb 28 to March 8 have been cancelled by an airline due to the closure of airspace in the Middle East — with a special flight, which will depart Changi Airport for Muscat in Oman at 5.30am on Sunday.

[[nid:731027]]

editor@asiaone.com