London, March 14 (HNA) – Filippo Grandi, head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), praised Ukraine’s neighbours for the way they have met hundreds of thousands of fleeing people in recent days – and hopes the current crisis will open the eyes of all European countries.
Other people go through exactly the same thing. They also escape from great dangers and risks, so they need the same hearing, he said.
Almost 2.7 million people have fled the war in Ukraine in the last 17 days. Filippo Grandi has recently visited Poland, which has received close to 1.66 million people from neighbouring countries, and Moldova and Romania, which have received around one hundred thousand refugees each in recent days, according to UNHCR estimates.
“I want to praise the way it is done. It is done not only in an organized way but also in a humane way” he told SVT’s Agenda and added:
“I think this is a moment that defines Europe. A moment when Europe understands that there is a correlation between war and flight, and a moment when all European countries understand that they can become recipients of large waves of refugees and most importantly, that we need the support of others. No one can do this alone.”
During previous refugee crises, it has not been very easy to persuade some European countries to keep their borders open to people who have been forced to flee the Middle East, Syria and Afghanistan, among other places, he emphasized.
It is understandable that there is solidarity and sympathy for this crisis in Europe, but it does not justify a different treatment of other refugees, he said. “My message to Europe is that other people go through exactly the same thing. They also escape from great dangers and risks, so they need the same hearing.”
Many people who come to Europe have genuine claims to a sanctuary and deserve protection, Grandi emphasized: “Regardless of whether they come from the local area or a place far away, they have the same rights. They have the right to have their cases investigated.”