MOSCOW, October 4 (RIA Novosti) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Antonio Guterres, praised the efforts of the Russian authorities for accepting and settling refugees from Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.
"The High Commissioner praised the efforts of Russia's reception and settlement of Ukrainian refugees, 'of the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who have crossed the border into the Russian Federation,'" a statement on the ministry's official website said.
Guterres raised the issue of Ukrainian refugees during UNHCR's 65th Executive Committee Meeting held September 29 to October 3 in Geneva, Switzerland. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Guterres expressed concern over the large number of internally displaced persons in Ukraine.
The Russian delegation called on UNHCR to continue its objective coverage of the humanitarian impact of the situation in Ukraine. According to the ministry statement, the committee "Confirmed that the only effective solution to dealing with refugees and internally displaced persons may be the cessation of hostilities and a political solution to the internal Ukrainian crisis."
The influx of refugees from the south-east of Ukraine has increased dramatically since June amid tensions between independence supporters and Kiev authorities. As of September 24, some 390,000 Ukrainian refugees have registered on Russian territory.
The head of the Federal Migration Service (FMS) Konstantin Romodanovsky reported earlier that over 180,000 Ukrainians have applied for refugee status and have been given temporary asylum in Russia. According to Romodanovsky, over 110,000 people in Ukraine have been given refugee status, while over 90,000 people are awaiting temporary residence permits.
Last week, Russian Presidential Administration chief Sergei Ivanov said all refugees had been welcomed to the Rostov Region, which borders eastern Ukraine.
