The Republic of Moldova became an example at the international level owing to its efficient response to the refugee crisis and to the developed temporary refugee protection instrument, the Representative of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in the Republic of Moldova Francesca Bonelli stated in a meeting with Prime Minister Dorin Recean, IPN reports.

“Even if today we don’t have refugees on the border, these need support here, in the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, our common objective is to turn the presence of refugees into an opportunity for developing the country,” stated Francesca Bonelli.

For his part, Dorin Recean spoke about the Government’s priorities for the immediate period, mentioning the continuation of the humanitarian programs, facilitation of the employment of refugees, supporting of the integration of refugee children into the educational system and offering of the necessary educational support. ”We bear responsibility for assisting these people in the process of integration into our society and we bank on the cooperation with the UN Refugee Agency in this regard,” stated Dorin Recean.

He welcomed the UNHCR’s contribution to increasing the Government’s response capacities and to developing efficient mechanisms for managing the refugee crisis, underling the necessity of extending the cooperation framework so as to offer more opportunities to the Ukrainian refugees and the host families.

There are over 82,000 Ukrainian refugees in the Republic of Moldova at present.