The evacuees, who were on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH781, touched down at KLIA Terminal 1 at 11.03pm yesterday.
They were welcomed by the foreign ministry’s deputy secretary-general (bilateral affairs) Ahmad Rozian Abd Ghani.
The group comprised 17 Malaysians, six Iranian dependents of Malaysian citizens, and one Singaporean national.
Malaysia’s ambassador to Iran, Khairi Omar, who led the group, told the media they had to travel about 1,000km by land to exit Tehran.
“We chose a route away from the source of the attacks, which were coming from the west, so we headed east. Alhamdulillah, we received strong cooperation from the Turkmenistan government, which allowed foreign nationals to cross the border,” he said.
He added that around 12 Malaysians were still in Iran, and that Wisma Putra was closely monitoring their situation to ensure their safety.
According to a statement from Wisma Putra, all 24 individuals crossed the Iran–Turkmenistan border on June 21 and boarded Turkmenistan Airlines flight T5 647 on June 22 to Bangkok, Thailand, before continuing their journey to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines flight MH781.
The evacuation, coordinated by the Malaysian embassy in Tehran, involved a 1,120km land journey to the Iran-Turkmenistan border. The Malaysian embassies in Ashgabat and Bangkok facilitated flight arrangements from Ashgabat to Malaysia.
The foreign ministry expressed its appreciation to the governments of Iran, Turkmenistan, and Thailand for their cooperation which enabled the smooth return home for the Malaysians.
“This evacuation process reflects the Malaysian government’s continued commitment to ensuring the safety and welfare of its citizens, in line with the core value of ihsan (compassion) under the Malaysia Madani framework,” the statement said.
Wisma Putra also confirmed that the Malaysian embassy in Ashgabat had assisted in the repatriation of Bruneian citizens from Turkmenistan to their home country.
It said the involvement of a Singaporean citizen in the evacuation and the assistance extended to Brunei nationals reflected Malaysia’s readiness to offer support to citizens of fellow Asean nations, in the spirit of regional solidarity.