The
Russian Foreign Ministry has discussed the return of Russian children from
Syria and Iraq, including territories out of Damascus’ control, with members of
the corresponding task force, the ministry informed on Friday.
The
meeting was headed by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and
Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Anna Kuznetsova.
"The
participants of the meeting have discussed the outcomes of three humanitarian
missions on returning underage Russian citizens from Iraq to Russia (90
children in total), held with active participation of the Russian Embassy in
Baghdad, related Russian agencies and with effective cooperation of Iraqi
officials," the message by the ministry states. "All these children
had been in the territory of Iraq unlawfully with their mothers who are being
investigated or sentenced on charges of involvement with terrorist
organizations."
"Special
attention was paid to the issue of returning children in a similar situation
from Syria. First and foremost, the children who ended up on the territories
out of Damascus’ control," the ministry added.
A
Russian Emergencies Ministry aircraft evacuated 33 children of Russian citizens
held in a prison in Baghdad on Wednesday, the ministry’s press service informed
TASS.
Earlier,
Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Anna Kuznetsova
informed that all identified children of Russian citizens jailed in Iraq for
terrorist activity would be returned to Russia by August.
In
2017, an inter-agency commission dealing with the return of children from
combat zones was established. In December 2018 and February 2019, 57 children
were returned to Russia from Iraq due to the efforts of the Russian Foreign
Ministry, the Emergencies Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Health Ministry
and other agencies.