There will be a lot of pressure, considering how many Swedes are stranded there.
Over 4,000 Swedes are stuck in Dubai and Qatar. The team of specially trained Foreign Ministry (UD) personnel has landed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The idea is that they will try to get overland to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, as soon as the situation allows.
It is not a completely simple maneuver, says the foreign minister.
Assist Swedes
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the team consists of three officials who will assist the Swedes by coordinating regular air transport when they get underway, but also help people who want to get out by land. More will join the team from Sweden, according to Malmer Stenergard.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no plans to organize bus trips, but is not ruling anything out.
The main option is to use air routes because there are such a large number of people who need to be brought home. One should be aware that using the land route is also associated with danger, says Malmer Stenergard.
The government has been criticized, including by Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson, for not doing enough compared to other countries.
This is primarily about a few larger countries that have managed to get a very limited number of citizens out, says Malmer Stenergard.
She emphasizes that Sweden cooperates with other EU countries.
But as long as the airspace is closed, the possibilities are extremely limited.
Travel companies Ving and Apollo have hundreds of stranded travelers, mainly in Dubai. They are trying to get passengers home via regional airlines, but have considered sending their own planes or busing passengers to neighboring countries.
"Of course everyone wants to go home. There are families with children and people who are going home to work and so on. People are frustrated and think it is an unpleasant situation," says Claes Pellvik at Ving.
Extended travel advice
This morning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expanded its travel advice to the area. Due to the deteriorating situation, all travel to Lebanon is now also advised against. The same advice has previously applied to Iraq, the Palestinian territories and Israel.
Non-essential travel to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar (transit not included), Kuwait and Jordan is also advised against.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also urges Swedes to leave Iran and Yemen. For Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the advice applies to certain vulnerable areas.
