Montreal conference.Photo: president.gov.ua
31 October, Montreal – At a conference in Montreal, a number of countries pledged to facilitate the return of deported and captured Ukrainians to their homeland. The participants of the two-day event, including ministers and representatives of international organisations, agreed to mediate in the negotiations and provide support as transit countries. This was reported by TimeUkraineIsrael with reference to DW.
Declaration of support and commitments of intermediary countries
The countries participating in the conference signed a joint communiqué outlining their commitments to help bring Ukrainians home. Commenting on the outcome of the event, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly noted that the new declaration will help coordinate efforts to find and return Ukrainians who are still in captivity or have been forcibly removed. Particular emphasis was placed on protecting the rights of children, prisoners of war and civilians.
The communiqué, in particular, outlines the roles of Qatar, the Vatican, South Africa, Lithuania and the United Arab Emirates, which have assumed responsibility for assisting Ukraine in the return of its citizens. The Vatican, Qatar and South Africa agreed to mediate the negotiations, while Qatar and Lithuania will also act as transit states. The UAE has confirmed its intention to mediate in negotiations on the exchange of prisoners of war.
The growing scale of the problem of deportation and disappearance of Ukrainians
According to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, the situation with deported and missing Ukrainians is becoming more serious. According to official figures, around 42,000 Ukrainian citizens are still missing, while Russia has deported around 20,000 Ukrainian children. So far, only 860 of them have been returned home.
“We have formed a network of support from specific countries that have pledged to help in the process of returning deported children and missing soldiers,” Sibiga said at a press conference, as quoted by the Office of the President of Ukraine.
New group to search for information on captured Ukrainians
The event also announced the creation of a group of countries that will work together with Ukraine to locate Ukrainian prisoners of war and assist in collecting and verifying information about them. This group will coordinate efforts with international partners to ensure the successful search and verification of data.
Results of the thematic conferences and plans for the “peace summit”
The conference in Montreal was the final in a series of thematic meetings held to implement the “peace formula”. Between August and November, nine such conferences were held to discuss specific aspects of the plan aimed at achieving sustainable peace and the return of Ukrainian citizens. The results of these events will be used to formulate specific proposals that will form the basis for the second “peace summit”, the Office of the President of Ukraine said.
