GRODNO, 16 December (BelTA) - Some 120 refugees have left the transport and logistics center near the Belarusian-EU border under the IOM assisted voluntary return and reintegration program, BelTA has learned.
IOM representatives visited the center with a technical mission on 15 December. They proposed the refugees to return home under the IOM assisted voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR) program. About 120 people filled out the relevant applications.
On 16 December several buses were sent for them. The people will be taken to Minsk, to a hotel, and the necessary documents will be prepared, said Mohamed Refaat, Senior Operations Coordinator at IOM. "Flights are scheduled for Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday," he said. Flights will be with layovers.
The program provides for various kinds of assistance, including paperwork, a transfer to the airport, and, upon returning to their homeland, a transfer to the end point of the route. Financial support may be provided for successful reintegration at home. IOM representatives plan to continue collecting applications for return home from refugees stranded on the border.
