Sarma speaks to Jaishankar over evacuation of stranded Assamese in Ukraine

Guwahati, Feb 26 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said he has spoken to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding evacuation of people from Assam stranded in war-torn Ukraine.

“Spoke to Hon EAM Sri @DrSJaishankar about safety of our students in #Ukraine. He informed me that MEA is working closely with Indian Embassy for expeditious evacuation of students & residents including those from #Assam,” he tweeted.

“I wish to reassure all parents to have faith in GOI,” the chief minister added.

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar said on Twitter that Air India’s first evacuation flight with “219 Indian nationals has taken off from Romania”.

“Regarding evacuation of Indian nationals from Ukraine, we are making progress. Our teams are working on the ground round the clock. I am personally monitoring,” he said.

As per estimates, more than 100 students from Assam are at present stuck in different parts of Ukraine.

After weeks of simmering crisis, Russians declared war on Ukraine on Thursday and troops started advancing towards the capital of the East European country.