Cyprian Musoke
29 August 2008
Kampala — THE Russian Ambassador to Uganda, Valery Utkin, has said his government is investigating reports of mistreatment and death of Ugandan students in Russia.
Addressing a press briefing at the media centre on Thursday, Utkin, flanked by the deputy head of mission Ruslan Madiev, said the acts were perpetuated by racist groups.
"These racist nationalistic groups are in every country but the Russian ministry of internal affairs is taking strong measures to stop such actions. I think the situation is gradually improving and hope it will finally be resolved," he said.
A recent Saturday Visionspecial report revealed that studying in Ukraine and Russia was a deadly venture.
According to Sova, a racism watchdog in Moscow, 47 foreigners were killed in racial attacks in Russia in 2005, 63 in 2006 and 80 in 2007.
Currently, there are 12 Ugandan students in Russia on government scholarship, according to the Ministry of Education, while there was no official figure for those on private sponsorship.
The ambassador also explained Russia's recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
On August 26, he explained, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed decrees recognising the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia from Georgia.
"This decision was taken with due account to the will of the Ossetian and Abkhaz people freely expressed through the referenda conducted, and to the appeals to Russia by the Parliaments and Presidents of the two republics to recognise their sovereignty, which was supported by the two chambers of the Russian parliament," he said.
This decision, he added, is in line with the provisions of the UN charter, the 1970 declaration on the principles on International Law governing friendly relations between states and other international instruments.
He said Russia called on other states to follow its example.
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