TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has spoken over the phone with his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Maki to discuss the latest situation of Iranian nationals stranded on the Belarus-Lithuania border.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the two top diplomats exchanged views over the predicament of Iranian nationals stranded on the border.

Amir Abdollahian said Iran is gravely concerned over the situation of its citizens.

He demanded that Belarus consulate officials and border guards offer humanitarian cooperation for the purpose of locating the stranded Iranians and providing them with medical care.

The foreign minister urged the Belarus government to give the Iranian embassy in Minsk access to the Iranians so that the people will be repatriated to their country.

Amir Abdollahian said worrisome news is making the rounds on social media regarding the situation of these people. He called for maximum cooperation from Belarus, particularly its border guards for the purpose of helping the Iranian nationals.

In the telephone conversation, the Belarus foreign minister briefed Amir Abdollahian on the measures taken by his country’s Foreign Ministry to identify and find the Iranian nationals.

Maki reaffirmed Minsk’s readiness to provide maximum assistance in this regard and to keep in touch closely with the Iranian embassy in Minsk.

Maki also said it is necessary to get more information about the whereabouts of the stranded Iranians. He gave assurances that he would immediately demand information from relevant authorities in Belarus in this respect.

Amir Abdollahian and Maki agreed to continue consultations until the Iranian nationals stranded in the border region are found and assisted.

The two top diplomats also underlined their determination to implement the agreements Tehran and Minsk reached recently on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting for the purpose of deepening ties between the two sides.

Earlier on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh offered some explanations about the situation of Iranian nationals. He said that upon being notified of the matter, the Iranian embassy in Belarus was instructed to immediately pursue the issue.

According to Khatibzadeh, the embassy contacted the Belarusian Foreign Ministry and other relevant authorities to gain more information about the stranded Iranians and to resolve their predicament. He stated that the Iranian embassy in Minsk called on the relevant bodies to help it gain access to the Iranians on the border and to immediately address their situation.

According to the spokesman, given the urgency of the matter, the Iranian embassy also made an effort to directly contact the stranded nationals. He said Iran’s ambassador to Minsk managed to talk on the phone to one of them and that a team from the embassy was sent to the Belarus-Lithuania border to pave the way for the returning of the Iranians to the country. Khatibzadeh added that the team is now in the border area and in collaboration with the regional border authorities is trying to end the predicament of those people as quickly as possible.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said the embassy has been in constant contact with the relevant Belarusian bodies and conveyed Tehran’s serious concern over the situation of the Iranian nationals in the border area to the Belarusian party. He noted that the Foreign Ministry also pursued the matter through the Belarusian embassy in Tehran. 

Khatibzadeh said Iran is confident that the Belarus government will offer sufficient and necessary help to resolve the problem in line with friendly ties between Tehran and Minsk. He noted that the Iranian Foreign Ministry will also continue pursuing the issue seriously.