ASHGABAT, March 19 (Xinhua) -- "We're home! Finally home!" Even before he could speak, tears of excitement swelled up in the eyes of Shu Hongmin, a citizen from China's Jiangsu province.
On Tuesday afternoon, another group of 22 Chinese citizens evacuated from Iran stepped onto the road back to their homeland at the Sarakhs checkpoint in Turkmenistan.
Around 14:00 local time (0900 GMT), the evacuees began arriving at the border. Staff from the Chinese Embassy in Turkmenistan, who had been waiting in the hall, immediately stepped forward to assist with entry registration and luggage clearance, guiding everyone onto pre-arranged transfer buses.
Despite fatigue from the long journey and the initial unease of a new environment, the smiles among the evacuees signaled relief.
Shu could not hold back his tears. "My family has been waiting for me. Now we can come home and live in peace."
Ma Yuxiu, an entrepreneur running an LED lighting business in Iran, recalled the evacuation.
"I had just submitted my passport to the Iranian authorities for processing when the Chinese Embassy in Iran stepped in the very next day to help retrieve it," she said. "Before my departure, the embassy contacted me every day to check on my safety. My friends from other countries were quite envious -- they kept saying, 'Your country really looks after you.'"
Many evacuees said they had felt anxious at first. But upon arriving in Sarakhs and seeing embassy staff waiting for them, they were immediately reassured. "It felt like seeing family," Ma said.
Zhang Xu, an employee of a Chinese-invested coal mining company in Iran, had seen his workplace shut down for more than half a month as the situation deteriorated. Under the coordination of the Chinese embassy, Zhang and his colleagues were able to evacuate safely to Turkmenistan.
"Along the way, everyone helped one another," Zhang recalled. "Some of the older people didn't speak the language, so the younger ones helped to translate and communicate. We supported each other and made it through together."
According to the Chinese Embassy in Turkmenistan, since the United States and Israel launched military actions against Iran, more than 100 Chinese citizens in Iran have been evacuated through Turkmenistan.
"The moment we entered Turkmenistan, I suddenly felt safe," Zhang said. "It was like a huge weight had finally been lifted off my shoulders."
Zhang's colleague, Leng Jiadong, was equally jubilant. "The situation in Iran was indeed tense, but both the Chinese Embassies in Iran and Turkmenistan stayed in constant contact with us, monitoring every detail of the journey. From border crossings to route arrangements, the embassies had everything planned. We are truly grateful to our strong motherland." ■
