Turkey brings back expats from Europe on eve of Ramadan

ANKARA/SAMSUN-Anadolu Agency

Turkey evacuated 337 citizens from the U.K. on April 20 on a special flight in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. 

At the instruction of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkey decided to bring back nearly 25,000 citizens before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

A specially arranged Turkish Airlines flight left London and arrived in Ankara in the evening.

Following health checks, the citizens were sent to the city of Kırıkkale to be quarantined in a student dormitory.

Meanwhile, Turkey also brought home some 448 Turkish citizens from Germany.

Some 210 expats from Frankfurt landed in the city of Ordu and were transported to the northeastern city of Giresun to be quarantined.

Another 238 citizens also arrived from the country and were quarantined.

Citizens thanked President Erdoğan, Vice President Fuat Oktay and foreign ministry staff for this opportunity.

As part of the same measures, Turkey also brought back 93 expats from Spain. A Turkish Airlines flight carrying them landed at Samsun Airport in northern Turkey.

After routine checks, they were sent to the city of Tokat to be quarantined.

Turkish citizens leave Bangladesh on charter flight

Meanwhile, at least 154 Turkish nationals left Bangladesh on April 21 on a Turkish Airlines charter flight arranged by Ankara.

The passengers were stranded in the capital Dhaka amid the coronavirus lockdown in the South Asian nation, which reported 110 confirmed deaths from the virus, with a total of 2,382 confirmed cases so far.

"Our government for the second time is bringing back a total of 25,000 Turkish citizens stranded around the world before the start of the holy month of Ramadan," said Mustafa Osman Turan, Turkey's ambassador to Dhaka.

"Those having residence permit in Turkey have been included in this list," he told Anadolu Agency at the international airport in Dhaka.

The Turkish Airlines plan also brought back 20 Bangladeshi students from different cities in Turkey earlier this morning, Turan added.

366 expats evacuated from Iraq put under quarantine

In the meantime, over 350 Turkish nationals, who were evacuated from Iraq, have been placed under a 14-day quarantine on April 21.

The 366 expats, in the capital Baghdad, came to Turkey by bus via the Habur border gate in the southeastern Şırnak province.

After health checks, they were sent to the southeastern provinces of Diyarbakır and Batman for a 14-day quarantine in dormitories.

In a bid to enforce social distancing, they will stay separately in single rooms.