Speaking to reporters at the airport on Saturday, Goyal said the evacuation was carried out following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions with coordinated efforts of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Indian missions abroad to shift the stranded fishermen from Iran to Armenia before bringing them back to India.

Chennai: Union Minister Piyush Goyal Welcomed the second batch of Indian fishermen at Chennai International Airport after their successful evacuation from Iran amid the ongoing conflict situations in the region.Speaking to reporters at the airport on Saturday, Goyal said the evacuation was carried out following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions with coordinated efforts of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Indian missions abroad to shift the stranded fishermen from Iran to Armenia before bringing them back to India.“Our Prime Minister gave instructions to the Foreign Ministry, and he worked very hard to transfer them from Iran to Armenia. From Armenia, we got some good people to help us bring them back because they were very poor fishermen. 345 came in the first batch. More than 300 came today. The Prime Minister has always been concerned about all those people who are stuck in any crisis. This once again shows how much he cares for our fishermen who were unfortunately caught in the middle of the war in Iran. They have been brought out right from inside Iran,” Goyal said.He further informed that so far more than 600 Indian fishermen have been safely brought back from Iran with the assistance of Indian Embassies in Iran and Armenia. The returnees mainly include fishermen Tamil NaduGujarat, Kerala and Puducherry.“We are happy to welcome back our brave fishermen who are in the midst of the war in Iran. They have been able to come back to India with the help of the Embassy in Iran and the Embassy in Armenia. The first flight brought back 345 fishermen, mostly from Tamil Nadu. Today, we have more than 300 fishermen who have returned. Most are from Tamil Nadu, many from Gujarat, and some from Kerala and Puducherry. They had gone to Iran to earn a living, most of whom were from the southern part of the country. They come from various districts like Kanyakumari, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Nagapattinam as well as Pudukkottai, Mayiladuthurai and many other districts along the coast. The fishermen from Gujarat are mostly from Valsad in Surat region,” he said.Goyal also praised the coordinated diplomatic efforts of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his team, saying they ensured the safety of Indian citizens right from the beginning of the crisis.“From the first day when the war started, External Affairs Minister, Son of the Soil of Tamil Nadu, Jaishankar and his team were in touch with the fishermen, ensuring that they were safe. The embassy brought them together in Armenia, and we have arranged for flights to bring them to India. They may belong to different parts of India, but what binds them together is ‘Mahabharata’, ‘Tiranga’, our national flag and the love and affection of 140 crore Indians who were eagerly waiting for their brothers to return from the war in Iran,” the Union Minister said.Sylvester, a fisherman from Kanyakumari district who was among those brought back, expressed relief after returning home and said the evacuation had brought him safety and comfort.“Now we feel safe and happy. Our Modi government has helped us a lot. Without them, we would not have reached here. They helped us a lot; they even gave us good, good food,” he told ANI.