UN Refugee Chief Heads to Russia for High-Level Talks
The three-day trip by UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Ruud Lubbers is his first visit to the Russian Federation since taking over the post from Sadako Ogata just over a year ago, AFP reported.
Lubbers will urge during talks with the Russian authorities for those displaced to Ingushetia by conflict in Chechnya not to be forced back to the breakaway region, UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski said.
About 150,000 Chechens have left their homes for neighboring Ingushetia where they are living in tent camps, settlements in converted farm and industrial buildings, with host families or in rented accommodation, he said.
For many, it is their third winter away from their homes, the UNHCR said.
"Our main request to Russia is that these people not be pushed back to Chechnya which of course is a huge security risk for a number of reasons," Janowski told a news briefing.
"We've heard reports of people being encouraged as it were by the local authorities to go back, but we have not had cases of people actually being physically pushed back," he added.
"We think that the Russian authorities including the Federal authorities share our position that chechyna is basically not safe enough to go back to for any significant number of people," he told reporters.
Lubbers is due to meet the heads of several ministries, including Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and the Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov, Janowski said.
Talks will focus on refugee protection, the link between asylum and migration, UNHCR's help for those displaced in the northern Caucasus and further cooperation between the Geneva-based un agency and Russia.
Lubbers also plans to visit tent camps, host families and "spontaneous settlements" for displaced Chechens in Ingushetia, to talk to the people themselves and meet UNHCR partner agencies, Janowski said.
In addition to the 150,000 Chechens displaced in Ingushetia, an estimated 160,000 Chechens have been displaced within Chechnya itself, UNHCR said.