Chechen authorities intend to return Gataevs' children home

In the nearest future, Shamsail Saraliev, Minister for Foreign Relations of Chechnya, will go to Lithuania to discuss the issue of return of Gataevs' children to Chechnya with the local Migration Service and the Committee on Tutorship.

Six children, pupils of the family foster home of Malik and Khadizhat Gataev, aged 8-14, are living now in the social village (SOS-village) in Vilnius.

Minister Saraliev informed the head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, about the efforts "undertaken to return home the six children-pupils of the Gataev family, who are now in the social village in Lithuania," says the message posted on the official website of the President and the Government of the Chechen Republic.

"We held a special meeting on the issue at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and contacted the Russia's consular representative office in Lithuania. Apparently, the Lithuanian party wants to leave the children there, although they have no rights to it. We've hired a lawyer, and I personally, with your permission, plan to go to Lithuania and discuss there with the officials of the Migration Service and the Committee on Tutorship of Lithuania the issue of children's return to their homeland," said Saraliev.

Mr Kadyrov, in his turn, drew the Minister's attention to the fact that Chechen children may stay in other countries and regions of Russia.

"The children will grow up not knowing who they are by nationality, what their beliefs are and where they come from. We are responsible before the Allah for everybody and especially for orphans. Therefore, all the children who had been taken away from the Chechen Republic and living in shelters should be returned back to their homeland. I spoke to Aimani Kadyrova, President of the Regional Public Foundation named after Ahmat-Hadji Kadyrov; she expressed her readiness to render all the necessary assistance to these children," stressed the head of Chechnya.