Politics

UN chief visits reception center for Ukrainian refugees in Moldova

Moscow, May 10 (EFE).- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday visited a Ukrainian refugee camp in Moldova, one of the main destinations for people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

“Today I visited a center where, upon arrival, they can access services such as legal assistance & medical support,” Guterres wrote on Twitter, along with photos of the visit.

Earlier in the day, Guterres met with Moldovan president Maia Sandu, who on Monday had canceled her participation in public events due to health reasons.

He praised the Moldovans for “their generosity & solidarity” with the people of Ukraine and said the UN would increase its support to Moldova amid this humanitarian crisis.

Sandu and Guterres discussed a program of cooperation between Moldova and the UN aimed at promoting the rule of law, democracy and the population’s standard of living for the next five years, the Moldovan president said in a Facebook post.

On Monday, Guterres called on Russia to speed up negotiations to achieve a peaceful settlement.

“I call on Russia and Ukraine to activate diplomatic efforts through dialogue in order to urgently achieve a negotiated settlement. Guns must be silent,” Guterres said at a joint press conference with Moldovan prime minister Natalia Gavrilita.

Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe, has taken in nearly half a million out of the almost six million Ukrainian refugees who fled to neighboring countries.

Eight million people in Ukraine have been internally displaced in the wake of the ongoing Russian invasion, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Tuesday.

“This represents a 24% increase when compared to the first internal displacement figures published on 16 March,” according to the IOM, which conducted an on-the-ground assessment between April 17 and May 3.EFE

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