The United Nations is preparing to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.
On Tuesday, April 26, UN Secretary General António Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and after the meeting, the UN official website announced the Russian President’s consent in principle to the participation of the organization , together with the Red Cross, in the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal in Mariupol.
According to the representative of the Secretary General of the world organization Farhan Haq , the UN is now forming a team that should take part in the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol.
He said that preparations for this operation could take several days. It is also noted that negotiations are ongoing with the authorities of Russia and Ukraine to ensure conditions for evacuation.
“Our Humanitarian Affairs Office is preparing a UN team to coordinate the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. Today, Wednesday, we had discussions with the authorities in Moscow and Kyiv to develop an operational framework for the evacuation of civilians. We need a few days to prepare for this incredibly complex operation. These efforts are being made right now,” Haq said.
According to him, in order to carry out an evacuation operation, it is necessary to make sure that military activities on the territory of Mariupol have ceased. “So far, there are no such conditions on earth,” he added.
Recall, earlier it became known that the Russian president said at this meeting with the UN Secretary General about the absence of hostilities in Mariupol . In addition, he assured that the Russian side is in contact with the military, who are in the dungeons of “Azovstal” and who, according to him, “should let the civilians go.”
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