Logistics, safety issues delay embassy response in Turkey
16-07-2016 04:53 PM
Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Jordan’s embassy in Ankara said on Saturday that it was sending an official to assist Jordanian travellers who were trapped in Istanbul airport since Friday night.
A diplomatic official at the embassy said there were no casualties among Jordanians in Istanbul, after an attempted military coup in Turkey on Friday night.
The embassy was sending an official to Istanbul to check the situation on the ground, the official told The Jordan Times.
However, some Jordanian travellers stranded in Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport since Friday evening said their attempts to contact the Kingdom’s embassy in Ankara had failed.
“We called many times,” Dina Abu Nuwar told The Jordan Times, adding that she also called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the only response she received was to “stay safe”.
“We are on our own, trying to seek help and advice about what to do. Our embassy’s response is very negative,” said Ehab Tantash, another Jordanian passenger who had been stranded in the airport since Friday night.
He added that Jordan’s embassy had said that“they can't do anything out of their office in Ankara. We have to stay calm and safe”.
“They said that we have to wait,” Tantash added.
The diplomatic official said that it was difficult to move between Ankara and Istanbul on Friday night and Saturday morning and the journey takes seven hours by car.
“The issues that need to be solved are logistical ones, and we will try to solve them,” the official said, adding that there would be a Royal Jordanian flight on Saturday night and another on Sunday morning.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday issued a circular urging Jordanians in Istanbul to be cautious. The announcement included the phone numbers of Jordan’s embassy in Ankara and the ministry.
The embassy in Ankara can be reached at 00905306620455 and the phone number for the ministry’s operator is 009626573515.