Austria to allocate 10 mln euros to help Moldova manage Ukraine refugee crisis - FM

CHISINAU. April 1 (Interfax) - Austria will allocate ten million euros to Moldova as assistance in managing the crisis related to the refugee flow from Ukraine, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said at a press briefing in Chisinau on Thursday.

Of this amount, five million euros will be provided as humanitarian aid for refugees from Ukraine, while another five million euros will be spent on supporting the Moldovan budget, Schallenberg said. An official announcement on this score will be made during a Berlin conference, where additional support for Moldova in light of the refugee crisis and the difficult situation in the region will be discussed, he said. The conference will take place next week at the initiative of Germany, France and Romania.

Schallenberg is visiting Moldova on Friday along with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky and Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok.

"This visit is a signal of support for Moldova. Austria was the first country to start transporting Ukrainian refugees from Moldova by air. Three hundred Ukrainians have already left Moldova for Austria, and another such flight has been scheduled for April 2," the Austrian foreign minister said.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said that his country will provide 3.5 million euros to Moldova as assistance in light of the regional crisis and the need to take refugees from Ukraine.

"We have come here to extend support to Moldova and to express our solidarity. We promise to help you amid the continuing crisis. The Czech Republic has given almost 3.5 million euros in assistance to Moldova, and additional assistance will also be provided from Czech non-governmental organizations," Lipavsky said.

Interfax has reported that the Moldovan parliament introduced a state of emergency on February 24 for 60 days. More than 350,000 Ukrainian citizens and over 35,000 foreigners who were in Ukraine have arrived in Moldova since February 24. More than 95,000 refugees remain in Moldova. Forty-seven percent of them are underage citizens. Over 2,000 children who have arrived from Ukraine are attending schools and kindergartens in Moldova. Around 50,000 refugees are staying at more than 100 temporary shelters set up across Moldova, while others are staying with families. Over 60,000 refugees have been transported to European Union countries and Turkey by road, by air and by rail. As many as 5,918 refugees have applied for asylum in Moldova. Of them, more than 3,000 are Ukrainians and the rest are citizens of other countries who were evacuated from Ukraine.