President Poroshenko meets with UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko held a meeting with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who was on his first visit to Ukraine, the president’s press service reported on Monday evening.

“We are pleased with the level of cooperation between Ukraine and UNHCR Office and are grateful for a strong support of our state in this difficult time,” the president said.

President Poroshenko also noted that during this visit the UN High Commissioner to Ukraine will be able to assess the difficult humanitarian situation in Donbas, which Russia is fully responsible for.

President Poroshenko also called on UN High Commissioner to pay special attention to serious problems of Crimean Tatars in Crimea that is temporarily occupied by Russia.

Filippo Grandi, in turn, said: “We attach significant importance to the situation in your country and the role we can play in resolving respective problems. This visit is also important because we can bring information about challenges of Ukraine to the world”.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees also noted the efforts of the Ukrainian authorities aimed at ensuring the rights and meeting the needs of IDPs.

The last visit of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to Ukraine took place 22 years ago.

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