From Le Figaro with AFP
Published 2 hours ago, updated 2 hours ago
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, October 13, 2023. KARIM JAAFAR / AFP
Doha welcomed the success of the operation and welcomed its role as a mediator in the conflict. According to Kiev, tens of thousands of children have been kidnapped by the Russians.
Qatar announced on Monday, October 16, that it had reunited on Russian territory with their families in Ukraine four Ukrainian children who were detained by Moscow authorities after the invasion in February 2022.
“Qatar announces the success of an operation to reunite a number of Ukrainian children with their families,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement in Doha.
He said he hoped this operation would mark the “beginning” of a process that would allow more children to be returned to Ukraine. The ministry said it gathered these children and their relatives at the Qatar Embassy headquarters in Moscow last week before transporting them “to their final destination” in Ukraine.
A Qatari diplomatic source familiar with the matter said four children managed to reach Ukraine on Monday, calling the operation a “breakthrough” and “gesture of goodwill” on Russia’s part.
For its part, the Qatari Foreign Ministry reiterated that the “success of the operation is a testament to the credit that Qatar enjoys among various (conflict parties) and to its continuous pursuit of peace and stability in the region and the world.”
“We hope that the collaboration will continue”
At a news conference in Moscow on Monday, Russian Children’s Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova did not confirm the agreement but praised Qatar’s “facilitator role,” particularly with regard to the “child reunification process.” “They’re trying to figure things out,” she said. “We hope that the collaboration will continue.”
Kiev has accused Moscow of deporting “tens of thousands” of Ukrainian children who were “abducted” in the occupied territories of Ukraine. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvowa-Belova for the “illegal deportation” of thousands of Ukrainian children since February 2022.
Allegations have been repeatedly rejected by Russian authorities, including Maria Lvova-Belova, who again called them a “lie” on Monday. She also reiterated that Moscow is considering protecting these children from the conflict.
In addition, she refused at this time to reveal the number of Ukrainian children who have arrived on Russian soil since the Kremlin’s offensive in Ukraine began more than a year and a half ago.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife, Olena Zelenska, more than 19,000 Ukrainian children have been transferred or forcibly abducted to Russia or occupied territories. Only 386 had been returned to Ukraine, she said in September.
For her part, on Monday, Maria Lvova-Belova assured that Moscow had received 17 applications from Ukrainian families wanting to return their children and that the relevant Russian authorities were “working on it.”
Qatar plays a mediating role in many international affairs. He recently endorsed a prisoner swap deal between the United States and Iran that would lift Washington’s $6 billion freeze on Iranian assets.
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