Tuesday, June 29 2021 12:21

ArmInfo.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi at a meeting in Moscow, held a thorough exchange of views on  the situation of refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and  stateless persons in the world, including taking into account the  COVID- 19 pandemic, as well as various aspects of interaction between  the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees  (UNHCR) and the Russian Federation.  

As reported by the press service of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the issues of the return of refugees  and IDPs to Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent regions were considered in  accordance with the Statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan  and Armenia dated November 9, 2020 on a ceasefire and all hostilities  in the conflict zone.

Lavrov drew the attention of the High Commissioner to the need of  further mobilizing the efforts of the international community to  promote repatriation of Syrian citizens who can make a significant  contribution to creative work to rebuild their country.

The Russian side again expressed serious concern about the problem of  mass statelessness in Latvia and Estonia, which affects primarily the  Russian-speaking population of these countries. The need to preserve  this topic as one of the priorities in the further work of the Office  was noted.  They discussed the activities of the UNHCR in the  implementation of projects aimed at providing assistance to refugees  and IDPs who had to leave their homes as a result of the internal  armed conflict in the South-East of Ukraine.  Grandi commended the  active role of Russia in finding solutions to the global problems of  forced migration, as well as the measures taken in our country to  resolve the legal status of refugees and asylum seekers.  The Russian  side reaffirmed its readiness to continue providing UNHCR with  all-round support.