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Date Published: 08/03/2022

ARCHIVED - Murcia offers 1,200 places to fleeing Ukrainian refugees

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Beds offered by hotels and private families in the Region will be added to this number

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Murcia offers 1,200 places to fleeing Ukrainian refugees

With the third round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine reaching yet another stalemate, the Region of Murcia is preparing to open its borders to 1,200 refugees fleeing the war zone, and while the Minister of Social Policy, Isabel Franco, has acknowledged that it’s “impossible” to know with any degree of certainty exactly how many Ukrainians will arrive in Murcia, the community has “everything ready” to welcome them nonetheless.

At the moment, 1,200 reception places have been made available in public buildings such as hospitals, but the regional government is also calling on local families willing to host refugees to register their interest at acoge.carm.es. This will enable the authorities to set up a comprehensive database for the arrivals.

According to the minister, hoteliers in the Region have already expressed their willingness to offer rooms, “but they prefer to work on demand and not give a specific figure at the moment, which is logical”.

Given that Spain has yet to hit the high season, the Regional Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs of the Region, Hostetur, has confirmed that there are plenty of places available, but while the association has contingency budgets in place for this kind of crisis, funding “will have to be extended.”

The Ukrainian government rejected the Russian plan for humanitarian corridors from some of the besieged cities earlier this week on the grounds that it is “unacceptable” that fleeing refugees would only be able to travel to Russia. This situation is creating major issues with not only getting people out, but also getting much-needed supplies into Ukraine.

“That is why, at this moment, we are told that it is better to send money than humanitarian aid,” the minister clarified.

Image: UNICEF

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