00:00According to Attorney General John Jeremy, Senior Counsel, there are a few main Middle Eastern countries where TNT nationals have
00:07taken up residence.
00:09He cites Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates comprising Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Qatar.
00:17As tensions in the Middle East tighten, Jeremy says, the Foreign Affairs Ministry has been focused on communication and logistics.
00:24And arranging safe passage for emergencies.
00:32In Saudi Arabia, our records show that we have 42 nationals.
00:38In Bahrain, five.
00:40In the United Arab Emirates, 169.
00:44That is Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
00:47In Qatar, 108.
00:51And in Kuwait, we have no records at present.
00:57The information was supplied by the AG in the House of Representatives and replied a question from Leader of the
01:03Opposition, Penelope Beckles, to Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister Sean Sobers.
01:08However, Sobers is in Florida as part of Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Bissas' delegation for the Shield of the Americas
01:15Summit.
01:16Regarding the escalating conflict in the Middle East and the reported distress of Trinidad and Tobago nationals in that region,
01:25can the minister identify what is being done to extract or evacuate Trinidad and Tobago citizens?
01:33The AG states that nationals have contacted the ministry, including those who are living in this country.
01:38Number of calls received from nationals on behalf of their families in the Middle East for the period 2nd to
01:465th of March, 10.
01:49Number of emails from nationals and nationals in the Middle East for the period 2nd of March to 5th of
01:58March, 80.
01:59The Attorney General says a crisis response program has been initiated.
02:04He states that it encompasses contact mechanisms and an emergency hotline, which can be reached via both phone and email.
02:13Jeremy adds that the information for the hotline can be found on the Foreign Affairs Ministry's website and all of
02:19its social media platforms.
02:21TV6 News searched the ministries' Instagram and Facebook pages, but couldn't locate the hotline information.
02:30The emergency phone number 1868-499-4927 has been established.
02:39The AG says it allows for real-time communication, adding that the registration system for nationals abroad has also been
02:48updated.
02:48The link for the RSNA is issued in two advisories by the ministry.
02:54Jeremy says that it allows them to register their presence and attain updates on what is transpiring.
03:00He indicates that the Foreign Affairs Ministry has engaged the high commissions of the United Kingdom and India.
03:06The AG's time ran out before he could have finished his response.
03:10Can you say whether or not the government, or through its diplomatic channels,
03:15have issued any formal statement to families in Trinidad and Tobago,
03:21so as to communicate with those affected residents in the disputed region?
03:25That supplemental question by Iruka Lupino MP Marvin Gonzalez was not allowed by House Speaker Jagdeo Singh.
03:32Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
03:36Are you here, Mr. Jeff耳ens?
03:36I brought it to you?
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