MOSCOW, December 11. /TASS/. The Russian President's Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova presented a report on the results of interaction with the Pope's envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi for the first six months of cooperation, the press service of the Children's Ombudsman reported.

They recalled that during a working meeting of the parties on June 29, an agreement was reached on the exchange of information on children, whose relatives wish to be reunited with them. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi gave the Commissioner the list of children prepared by the Ukrainian side.

"The consideration of each case is a sequential algorithm of actions, including direct interaction with the children's relatives, collection and analysis of available information on the case, and sending requests to authorized bodies to obtain information about the minors' possible place of stay. If necessary, visits to the children are arranged and legal difficulties are clarified. To date, a number of cases have been resolved," the press service said in a statement.

As a result of the engagement, it was possible to identify children who would need Russia's assistance in reuniting with family and friends. "In particular, this concerns three children who arrived in Russia with their mother in 2022. The children were placed in a social rehabilitation center for minors due to the poor living conditions of their family. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi's information allowed us to immediately locate the children and verify their status. The future of the situation will depend on the living conditions and the status of their mother," the press office said.

In addition, representatives of the Vatican helped in the negotiations that preceded the reunification with the relatives of the teenager Bogdan Ermokhin, who was found without a guardian in Mariupol in 2022, and agreed to be transferred under the guardianship of a Russian family. As a result, representatives of the Apostolic Nunciature were present at the Moscow airport when Bogdan left for Minsk to meet his cousin.

Helping clarify information about children

According to Lvova-Belova's office, information was received from the Ukrainian side through Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, which allowed to match the data on the children. "At least eight minors who were previously sought by relatives have now left Russia and are staying with their parents and relatives in Ukraine or EU countries. The search for these children has been stopped," the office added.

In addition, representatives of the Apostolic Nunciature are helping to provide the Ukrainian side with information about minors who are staying in Russia. This is because, for various reasons, "not all parents with children, as well as minors who have already reached adulthood, are willing to provide the Ukrainian side with full information about themselves."

"We highly appreciate the results achieved in the first stage of interaction and thank the Holy See, as well as the Pope's personal envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, and the Apostolic Nuncio to the Russian Federation, Giovanni d'Aniello, for their productive cooperation," she said, adding, "I hope that the humanitarian dialogue with the Ukrainian side will develop as a result of mutual efforts in the interest of children and their families."

Cooperation with the Apostolic Nunciature in the Russian Federation takes place regularly through an established bilateral group. The group's primary responsibilities include coordinating actions and exchanging information.