GRODNO, 2 December (BelTA) – Representatives of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited refugees in the temporary accommodation facility near the Belarus-Poland border and suggested that Iranian citizens return home, BelTA has learned.
On 2 December the representatives of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrived at the logistics center at the Bruzgi checkpoint where the temporary accommodation facility for refugees was set up. They studied the living conditions of the refugees and also met with compatriots who were offered to return home. There were not many of those who identified themselves as citizens of Iran: about 10-12 people came to the meeting with the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The citizens of Iran ended up here for various reasons, someone was lost, someone was misled. They received consultations and exchanged phone numbers with the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As the conversation revealed, the people were not convinced that they can safely return to Iran. They still want to get to Europe,” Grodno Oblast Deputy Governor Viktor Pranyuk said. He emphasized that this is the first official delegation of a foreign state that specifically discussed the measures to be taken. “If the governments of other countries made decisions and provided assistance to people just as quickly, then this crisis would probably have ended sooner. But the European states, as we can see, do not even try to deal with it,” Viktor Pranyuk noted.
The refugees were given time to think. If they make up their mind to return to Iran, they will be helped with paperwork, transportation to Minsk and a flight home.
In addition to that, during the meeting with representatives of the Belarus Red Cross, an agreement was reached that the Red Crescent Society would provide humanitarian aid to the refugees.
