Montreal: over 45 countries agree on a plan to return deported Ukrainians
Kyiv • UNN
International measures to return deported Ukrainians and prisoners of war are approved at a conference in Montreal. Qatar, the Vatican, and the UAE mediate repatriation talks.
The Montreal Conference adopted measures to return deported Ukrainians and prisoners. This was reported by the Office of the President of Ukraine, UNN reports.
Details
At the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of the Peace Formula in Montreal, which brought together representatives of more than 70 countries and international organizations, a Joint Communiqué was approved, the key element of which was the so-called Montreal Commitment. The document defines international steps aimed at returning all Ukrainians who are in captivity or have been deported.
The communiqué describes the unified position of the participants, who reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and condemned any assistance provided to the terrorist state to continue its aggression. It was also agreed to strengthen Ukraine's cooperation with international partners and organizations to address humanitarian issues and ensure compliance with the Geneva Conventions relative to the Protection of Human Rights in Wartime.
One of the main decisions was to engage reliable intermediary countries to negotiate with Russia on the return home of Ukrainian military, civilians and children. The conference also proposed to create mechanisms that would enable Ukrainians in a hostile state to receive consular services.
Among the international partners at the conference, some countries agreed to take concrete action. For example, Qatar, the Vatican, and South Africa became mediators in negotiating the return of deported Ukrainian children, and Lithuania and Qatar also became transit countries to help transport children home. The United Arab Emirates took on the role of mediator in negotiations on the exchange of prisoners of war.
The participants also agreed to create a group of countries to search for information about Ukrainian prisoners, including children, and to provide support in verifying the collected data. In addition, the conference pledged to support Ukraine in the reintegration of those returned home.
