Armenia, Azerbaijan help Indians stranded in Iran return home

New Delhi: Armenia and Azerbaijan have helped Indians stranded in neighbouring Iran return home safely amid the war raging in West Asia. So far, 550 Indians have transited through Armenia and 110 via Azerbaijan after crossing the land border.

Indians travelling through Azerbaijan are among the biggest group that the country has allowed to transit through its territory, according to people familiar with the development. Upon their arrival in Baku, the stranded Indians flew back to New Delhi and Mumbai via regular flights. Azerbaijan Airlines, also known as Azal, is expected to launch a regular flight to another Indian city this summer given tourist flows from India.

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More batches of Indians are expected to transit via these two Southern Caucasus nations in the coming days. Indian students in the Iranian capital have been relocated to safer cities outside Tehran as a precautionary measure. The government said that the Indian embassy in Tehran remains fully operational and is coordinating assistance on the ground.

As many as 284 Indians had travelled to Iran for pilgrimage. Some of them have returned to India, while others are expected to return over the next few days. The Indian embassy in Tehran and the J&K government coordinated the evacuation of students from badly affected areas, including Tehran.

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On Monday, the Indian Embassy in Iran cautioned Indian citizens against attempting to cross the borders without its knowledge.

"In continuation/reiteration of our advisory of March 9, all Indian nationals currently in Iran are strictly advised not to approach or attempt to cross any land border of Iran for onward travel without prior and explicit coordination with the Embassy of India, Tehran," the embassy said in a statement. "The Embassy is in regular contact with members of the Indian community, and coordinated arrangements are being undertaken wherever necessary. Uncoordinated movement toward land borders is strongly discouraged," it said.