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Alexander Romanovich made a declaration on the problem of the Ukrainian refugees at the PASE session 27 января 2015 Strasburg, on January 27 the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PASE) continued its work in the relevant committees and within the framework of a general discussion. In particular, the issue of refugees in connection with the situation in Ukraine was under discussion there. Alexander Romanovich, a deputy of the A JUST RUSSIA party faction and deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs made a declaration on this issue. Dear colleagues deputies, If I may be permitted, I’d like to start my speech with a quotation of a French journalist, playwright and novelist of the XXth century who said: "Emigration is the way to announce your motherland that you do not consider it as such any more." It was said over a century ago but how relevant it is now. Russia met with an absolutely new type of migration from neighboring Ukraine. People with whom we are spiritually close, have much in common in culture and history, and who were just recently citizens of a united country, had to flee to our territory from bombardment of their peaceful cities and villages that was started by the self-appointed government which is not welcomed in the south-east of Ukraine. Dekursel was indeed right. 800,000 citizens of Ukraine left the territory of their country and have been on the RF territory since the conflict started. Our attitude to the problem has been quite serious since the conflict broke out. Already last summer President of Russia Vladimir Putin gave orders to solve as soon as possible the main problems connected with help provision to the Ukrainian refugees. The head of the state said that the problem was getting more and more tremendous and stressed that it "required attention and attraction of serious resources." Special attention was paid to evacuation from the south-east of the child patients who need urgent treatment. This work is still been going on now. Realizing all the adaptation risks for people who arrived with all their family members, we still decided to settle the families from Ukraine actually in all regions of the country, including the farthest ones, such as the Far East. However, our services tried to take into account professional preferences of the newcomers, their desires regarding the regions they’d like to settle, took measures for their employment and housing provision. But we also have such a difficult challenge as labor migration from Ukraine. It is partially of a seasonable character but a lot of Ukrainians settled here for longer periods. Every year about 3,5 million Ukrainians arrive in Russia. But still there is a certain amount of illegal immigrants; according to different sources, around 4-5 mln. people. Nevertheless, even tightening the Russian immigration legislation in general, we consciously create easy terms for the Ukrainians. Moreover, yesterday speaking before the students of the Mining University in Saint-Petersburg, President Putin accused the NATO of participation in combat operations in Ukraine; he emphasized that young Ukrainians themselves are unwilling to be "cannon fodder" and are searching for shelter on the RF territory. That’s why Russia is going to amend its new law which does not allow the citizens of Ukraine (of a certain age) to stay in Russia for more than 30 days. In this case, they have to come back and are sure to be taken into the army by force. Therefore, the period of stay in Russia will be lengthened for men of military age. I’d like to draw your attention to the following: our hard and expensive work with migrants from Ukraine should be treated in a broader context of real assistance of Russia at solution of a number of urgent economic problems of this country. I mean preferential supply of gas, electricity and coal as well as considerable financial concessions. We are quite sincerely interested in returning to normal conditions in the neighboring fraternal country.
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