UNHCR Works On Both Sides To Help People Affected By Conflict In Ukraine's East

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd July, 2021) The UN Refugee Agency is working on both sides to help people affected by the conflict in Ukraine, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, told Sputnik, expressing the hope that crisis in the region will soon be resolved.

"These are not refugees, these are people inside Ukraine, we call them internally displaced, like internal refugees in their own country. So we work on both sides to help these people and conflict-affected individuals, we discussed this matter with Minister [Sergey] Lavrov," Grandi said, speaking of his recent meeting with the top Russian diplomat in Moscow.

"It's not easy to work in the conflict-affected areas because, you know, it's a complex situation," Grandi said.

He noted that it is good when a political solution is found, and the UN Refugee Agency presence is not needed anymore. However, with the conflict dragging on, the organization has to maintain its presence in the region.

Grandi noted that with support from all sides, the UN Refugee Agency was able to negotiate a passage across the line of contact.

"This has always been a big problem. These are people in their own country, but because of that conflict, they cannot go back and forth through the line of contact. So we have helped and we're doing that. So we will continue," he said, adding that he hopes the conflict will be resolved soon because it was not easy to work in under such conditions.

The conflict in Ukraine's east kicked off in 2014 with numerous attempts made since to resolve the crisis or, at the very least, end hostilities. Prospects for peace have been discussed on various platforms, including the Trilateral Contact Group, which has had adopted three documents containing steps to de-escalate the conflict since September 2014.