Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Stanley Kakubo says a plane to transport Zambian nationals is stationed in Warsaw, Poland.
Mr. Kakubo says the rendezvous for those closer to the Polish border on the western side of Ukraine is the train station in Lviv at Dvirtseva square.
The minister stated during a press briefing in Lusaka today that nationals at Lviv will move towards the Polish border at Hrebenne.
“An option is also being explored to move directly to Warsaw, Poland by train from Lviv, should train services resume,” he said.
The Minister added that the Zambian staff from the embassy in Berlin, Germany and the honorary consul to Poland are stationed at the Polish border to receive the Zambian nationals, as and when they arrive.
“Visa waivers have already been arranged. Those closer to the border with Russia, will be coordinated and assisted by our embassy staff in Moscow,” the minister indicated.
He added, “for effective communication on this evacuation exercise, all our nationals in Ukraine were requested to join the media platform created by the embassy,”
Mr. Kakubo further stated that movement of Zambian nationals within Ukraine is being conducted in a coordinated manner, given the fact that Zambians are spread across different cities.
“In terms of shelter across the border in Poland, conducive facilities have already been identified and secured where our nationals shall await final evacuation out of Poland,” he assured.
The Minister observed that the embassy staff have been facing challenges with moving Zambian nationals especially that the boarding of buses to the border, which is being coordinated by the authorities in Ukraine, is prioritising the elderly, women and children.
He however stated that fortunately, the majority of the Zambians have been accounted for with only 1 at the Polish border, 29 at the Ukraine border checkpoints near Hrebenne, 14 in Sumy and another 14 in Poltarva.
Others are 16 in Kharkov, 7 in Lvano, 15 in Lviv, at the train station, and 45 in transit towards Lviv.
“We are engaging various stakeholders in Ukraine, Poland and Russia to facilitate the movement of our nationals out of the different parts of Ukraine,” he said.
Mr. Kakubo noted that government is aware of the anxieties, concerns, and indeed frustrations being faced by parents and guardians of children, especially those who had already made their way to the Polish border and sadly had to spend the night along the way.
“Fellow citizens. The weather conditions in that part of the world are harsh. Our children are scared. Our children are anxious. Our children are facing challenges,” the minister stressed.
He has therefore encouraged parents and guardians and the nation at large to work with government as it coordinates the evacuation of the Zambian citizens back to Zambia.
He advised that any enquiries that the parents and guardians may have, should be communicated through the permanent secretary of International Relations and Cooperation (IR&C) at his Ministry.
“I wish to reiterate that, at this moment, it is the top priority of the government to ensure the safe evacuation of all our Zambian nationals out of Ukraine, back to Zambia in line with the directives from the President of the republic of Zambia,” the Minister emphasised.
Mr. Kakubo said government continues to explore, even under difficult circumstances, all means possible, to get the children across the border into Poland.
“The Ministry would therefore like to request members of the public, particularly parents and guardians of the students, to remain calm and patient as the government executes this very challenging and complicated exercise,” he urged.
The Minister has further asked everyone to remain prayerful as the country overcomes this difficult situation.
Identifying where people might be is not the same as having them in your secure custody. We are scrambling now, when evacuations should have commenced sooner. Pretty sluggish!
Evacuating people is not as simple some make out
there are proceedures to follow and to locate
Praying for Zambian & Ukrainian nationals caught up in this Russian aggression to be safe. Further we condemn Russia and it is right for the int’l community to isolate and sanction Putin’s evil bloodthirsty regime.
This shows that upnd have no idea what they are doing. Amateur govt.under pf our sons and daughters would have been back by now. Imagine going abroad for studies only to become a refugee in another land
Stanley smokes too much, no no, he drinks more than smoking.
At Nostradamus: who between you and Stanley, in their statement , sounds like they smoke too much?
Leave those pf cadres to face the wrath of nuclear , they hand picked themselves on a national and sponsored each using understand means. Thot they were clever , who could ever imagine there could be Zambians in Ukraine? Those are not Zambians but PF stoogies binding there with stolen money. Check their names too, and I ll find that, as was the norm, they are all from one region.
@7 – You sound insular and exceptionally hateful – a despicable trait I can only attribute to where you hail from, and your upbringing. Get yourself a bit of education on Zambia and it’s diverse population; you will be a less sad human.
#plant a tree please!
Leave those PF stoogies to face bombs there,
While our families suffered & died of hunger & gassing in Zambia, the click of thieves sent there sons to study overseas, under which program & what money. GRZ, leave those pf cadres there – besides, look at their surnames too, all from one region, if they are not even Congolese holding fake Zambian passports. What wud a Zambian be doing in Ukraine? These thieves who were buying illegal guns there and gas to gas out people.
You went to buy guns & chemical gas to arm your pf cadres and now karma is catching with you
Step aside is just a f00Iish t0nga boy. We effed his fat wlfe so he is now angry at the entire pf
@Zenia, bane muletasha. There those people whose government can’t be bothered over such but ours and some others have pulled up their sleeves to do as much as they do. Who sent these people to Ukrain anyway? Their families or other? I guess you know the answer. This is no time to be demeaning the efforts being made by those you can. Can you even?