Officials talk about moving orphans from far north to North Caucasus

The president of the Presidium of the Russian Congress of Peoples of the
Caucasus, Aliy Totorkulov, has supported the initiatives of deputy
chairman of the Federation Council Alexander Torshin on
relocating orphans from the Far North and the Far East to the
North Caucasus.

Alexander Torshin explained his idea by saying that "Caucasian
families will understand the orphans and will welcome them, and
the change of climate will benefit the children."

"Orphaned children are already deprived of attention and human warmth, so
why should they be kept in addition in a cold climate?" "Izvestiya"
quotes Torshin as saying.

Totorkulov supported Torshin's idea and once again stressed the
importance of families in the Caucasus and the low rate of orphans in
this region.

However, he stressed that children cannot be simply transferred to the
Caucasus, that it requires a great number of considerations to be taken into
account.

"I agree that this idea is somewhat controversial and, in view of today's
international relations, can automatically produce rejection, but
given the acuteness of the problem of child abandonment, it is
advisable that colleagues would not only criticize the initiative, but
also suggest alternative measures," Totorkulov said.