Parizek Hands over Landmine Warning Signs to Ukraine
Mariupol/Bratislava, April 13 (TASR correspondence) – Foreign and European Affairs State Secretary Lukas Parizek (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) on Friday handed landmine warning signs to representatives of the International Association for Support of Ukraine in Donbass.
A total of 8,600 pieces of the warning signs worth €6,000 in total have been delivered to Ukraine as part of Slovakia’s humanitarian aid.
As many as 1,720 civilians died in Ukraine between 2014-17 due to mine explosions. According to UN reports, eastern Ukraine is rapidly becoming one of the most-mined areas in the world.
“Mines in Donbass kill more people than anywhere else in the world, and the saddest thing about it is that these mines also kill innocent children,” said Parizek.
“If we don’t address this issue effectively, this will for many years become a barrier preventing us from rebuilding and further developing the area,” added Parízek, pointing to the fact that the huge number of mines is affecting the entire community, as the people are unable to cultive the land, the local economies are stagnating and the infrastructure is damaged.
The International Association for Support of Ukraine, to which Parizek handed over the landmine warning signs, is a non-profit organisation focusing on medical and humanitarian aid for Ukrainian hospitals, schools, children’s homes and geriatric centres. In cooperation with this organisation, Slovakia has provided Ukrainian soldiers, children and widows with physical and psychological treatments.
