“We never leave our citizens alone”

 

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu shared a message on his official Twitter account.

At least 76 Turkish citizens who got ill abroad were evacuated and brought home in 2019, said the country’s foreign minister on Sunday.

“Some 84 citizens who got ill abroad in 2018 and 76 citizens in 2019 were brought to our country by air ambulance,” said Mevlut Çavuşoğlu on Twitter.

 His statement came after Turkey evacuated its citizens from Sweden who contracted the novel coronavirus but was not given treatment.

“Brother Emrullah, welcome to our country. We have never left our citizens alone, no matter where in the world and we will not [leave them alone],” he said.

 In Malmo, Sweden, Emrullah Gulusken tested positive for COVID-19 but was denied treatment by authorities. His daughters Leyla and Samira shared posts on social media, asking for help.

 Turkey’s Health Minister Fahrettin Koca took swift action and brought the family back.

 A Turkish air ambulance left Malmo Airport at 9 a.m. local time (0700GMT) to bring stranded Gulusken and his family from Sweden and arrived at the Ankara Esenboga Airport at 1.30 p.m. local time (1030GMT).

 After routine health checks, the patient and his three children were taken to Ankara Sehir Hospital.