Speaking before a Cabinet meeting in Warsaw, Tusk said that more than 480 Polish nationals had already left Israel, Jordan and Lebanon – areas he described as directly threatened by military action – and were either back in Poland or on their way home.
The prime minister said he had ordered a halt to all government flights in order to keep the planes available for potential evacuation use, adding that any such operation required careful coordination.
Aircraft needed a viable landing destination and a clearly identified group of passengers at the right airport at the right time, Tusk said.
He acknowledged that some Polish citizens were stranded in more distant parts of Asia, whose return journeys had been disrupted by transit closures – for example, those unable to connect through Dubai.
He cited holidaymakers in Vietnam and Thailand as examples.
'No Polish citizen will be left without help'
"No Polish citizen will be left without help when that help is needed," he said, adding that Polish diplomatic missions and travel agencies were working around the clock on the problem.
Poland is also coordinating with other EU member states on the response, according to officials.
Tusk said there were around 14,000 Polish nationals in the United Arab Emirates, part of an estimated 400,000 EU citizens.
He urged the public not to be influenced by misinformation, stressing there was "currently no direct threat" to Polish citizens remaining in the area.
(ał/gs)
Source: PAP