MOSCOW, May 10. Ombudsman for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova met in the House of Human Rights with children who were returned from Ukraine to their mother in Mari El, reports a correspondent.
As the Office of the Ombudsman explained, the children returned thanks to the humanitarian contacts of Moskalkova and the Ombudsman of Ukraine Dmytro Lubinets after a Russian citizen Yulia turned to the Russian Ombudsman with a request to help her return two children from the Odessa region of Ukraine, who lived with their grandparents, to the Republic of Mari El.
“When we received an appeal from my mother from a distant village in Mari El, which is 100 kilometers from the central city of the republic, it was necessary to determine how the Ukrainian side would resolve the issue of issuing documents for my grandmother, escorting them to the border of Ukraine and Moldova. This is the first difficulty — long, serious negotiations with the Ukrainian side,» Moskalkova told reporters.
She noted that certain conditions constantly arose during the negotiation process. «Conditions to help their children, we do it without any conditions, because parents must live with their children,» the ombudsman said.
After that, according to Moskalkova, there were difficulties with the transportation of children and their grandmothers — establishing interaction with the human rights ombudsman of Moldova, then Armenia, purchasing tickets, escorting from the staff and management of Mari El. According to the Commissioner, a very constructive dialogue has been held with the Ukrainian Ombudsman on this issue. «It (dialogue) is not the first and, I hope, not the last, because the situation has separated many families and it is good that such interaction exists,» Moskalkova said.
The Ombudswoman thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the authorities of the Republic of Mari El, as well as the Ombudsmen of Moldova and Armenia for their assistance in the reunification of children. «How important is the interaction with colleagues authorized by other states, where diplomatic relations are going through difficult times, the institution of the Commissioner plays an important role in the provision of humanitarian assistance,» she stressed.
In addition, Moskalkova said that she was constantly in touch with the children's ombudsman of the Russian Federation Maria Lvova-Belova.