So far, 498 Ecuadorians have already left Ukraine and are in five nearby countries, according to Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín, who commented that the first arrival of a humanitarian flight from Poland with 350 people is expected for Thursday night.
However, in parallel there have been cases of dozens of students who do not want to return, whose parents have asked the State to process Schengen visas, which allow them to stay in a European country.
A request in which the Ecuadorian Government, like any other in the world, cannot participate since it is not its responsibility to manage tourist visas before third countries.
Holguín, who confirmed that 204 Ecuadorians are still in Ukraine, stated that compatriots who choose to stay in European countries must sign “a discharge statement in which they assume responsibility for staying irregularly.”
The foreign minister said that before the return of young Ecuadorians, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (Senescyt) together with UNESCO are already preparing a plan and stated that in the case of 103 medical students there are already conversations with the Health portfolio so that when they arrive they can go directly to rural areas.
This Tuesday, the head of the entity, Alexander Ribadeneiraheld meetings with the Foreign Ministry and other State portfolios to collect all the most accurate information on those who are going to return and more than 300 cases have already been documented.
“I know that in fifteen days we must return to Ecuador, but I try to stay in another country,” he says. Dagmar Narváez, 19, who crossed the border last Friday fleeing Russian military intervention into Ukraine.
Dagmar says she is aware of the deadline given by Poland to leave that country, but for now she tries to go to another where she can stay for at least three months without a visa and not under illegal status. She still hasn’t defined it.
The young woman does not rule out returning to Ecuador as a last resort, but says that her refusal to return is based on the fact that “until now there is no signed paper that guarantees her dreams.” She stops her in the hope that she will end the conflict as soon as possible and she can return to her university and continue with her studies in Industrial Engineering with a specialty in Aeromechanics and Mechatronics, which she was in her second year of studies.
She has the same position Jorge, 23 years old, of whom he has lived in the Ukraine for the last five. Currently, he has already managed to go to Poland together with other young people and does not contemplate returning to the country in any way.
“I want to stay here in Europe because I already had a life in Ukraine, I know it’s difficult, but I’ll find a way to get ahead,” he says.
The Ecuadorian Government has emphasized that it will not be able to manage tourist visas and that it is important that nationals do not fall for false offers to obtain visas.
In social networks, other compatriots who left Ukraine and are in nearby countries such as Romania or Poland waiting to board the flights have urged some colleagues to return to Ecuador, saying that it is the safest option they have so far.
For Carlos Estarellas VelazquezEcuadorian expert in international law and university professor, the Ecuadorian State has complied with its obligation to the compatriots affected by the conflict.
“In international law, what Ecuador has done is known as ‘diplomatic protection’, the obligation that the State has to protect its nationals abroad, and that has been fulfilled, but the serious problem is that those who do not want to return would be in a serious risk,” he says.
The professor explains that in these situations the usual thing is the opening of humanitarian corridors for the transfer of foreigners to their countries, but something very different is having the intention of staying in Europe.
“In Europe there is an immigration regime that must be respected and if they disrespect it, they are remaining under a figure of illegality and in that case the Ecuadorian State cannot do much,” adds Estarellas, and mentions that the compatriots by staying are exposed immediately to legal sanctions of immigration law and one of them could be deportation to the country of origin.
Estarellas stresses that the right thing to do at this time is for compatriots to come to the country and, once here, wait to see what happens regarding the conflict. He also mentions that considering a visa request is somewhat complex, first, because a visa is a privilege granted by a country and in this case it would also be difficult since Ecuadorians would seek to stay in different countries and not in just one.
On the other hand, the organization 1800 Migrant issued a statement in which it mentions that Ecuadorians displaced by the conflict “could request asylum or refuge”, a human right that is guaranteed in more than 140 countries. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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