17 October 2008, 19:11
Moscow-Tbilisi TV conference: Georgian refugees' problems need urgent solution
While politicians quarrel, the problems of Georgian refugees should be promptly addressed, and cooperation of Russian and Georgian civil societies should be promoted - this is the conclusion reached, according to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, by the participants of the television conference between Moscow and Tbilisi on the topic "Are peoples of Georgia and Russia able to strike hands?" held at the press centre of the RIA "Novosti" on October 16.
Maxim Shevchenko, a participant from the Russian party and a member of the commission of the Public Chamber of Russia for interethnic relations, shared the plans of the Public Chamber to set up a special mobile committee to get involved in situ in return of Georgian refugees in the so-called "buffer zone". Mr Shevchenko asked the Georgian party to take part in the work of the committee.
Earlier, Walter Kelin, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations for the rights of internally displaced persons, had expressed, during his two-day visit to Georgia, his concern of the situation with human rights in the "buffer zones" of the country.
Currently, the refugees' problems are more actual for the Georgian party, as out of the 34,000 Ossetians who had fled to Northern Ossetia, 33,000 are already back, while the comeback process of dozens of thousands Georgian to the so-called "buffer zone", abandoned by Russian troops on October 10, has not started yet, as emphasized by Valentin Gefter Director General of the Human Rights Institute.
Author: Anastasia Kirilenko, CK correspondent
