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Finland social agencies not take children from Russian Svetlana Karelina

“As S.V. Timonen assured representatives of the embassy the children live now with their father at his house,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, January 24 (Itar-Tass) – The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected the reports that the Finnish social agencies took the children from Russian citizen Svetlana Karelina.

“The media reports that the Finnish social agencies took the children from her were not confirmed,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said at its official website on Thursday. “As S.V. Timonen assured representatives of the embassy the children live now with their father at his house,” the ministry said.

“This is most likely a family conflict. In November 2012 with the consent of Svetlana Karelina the father brought his children to Finland, promising, in the words of the mother, to bring them back, but he did not do it,” the ministry said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry voiced hope that the conflict situation will be settled “absolutely in the legal field with due account of the interests of children.” The Russian Embassy in Finland is keeping in touch with Karelina and the father of the children Russian citizen Timonen, who lives permanently in Finland since 2011, the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

On December 12, 2012, the Petrozavodsk City Court ruled at the request from Karelina that the children should live with their mother in Petrozavodsk. Meanwhile, her address was taken into account, in which Svetlana Karelina stated that Timonen is keeping the children by force in Finland.

On January 15, Timonen lodged an appeal in the Supreme Court of Karelia. The appeal should be tried on January 25, 2013.