DUSHANBE, May 12, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- A statement by Russia’s chief sanitary physician Gennady Onishchenko claiming that Russian children are barred from leaving Tajikistan does not reflect the real situation, the Russian Embassy in Dushanbe said today.

Actually, no travel restriction were imposed on this category of Russian children in Tajikistan.  Misunderstanding on this subject could occur because of organizational and technical reasons due to difficulties in coordination of issues during weekends and holidays, May 8-10, a statement released by the Russian Embassy said.   

We will recall that Gennady Onishchenko, Head of Head of Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Protection and Welfare, told Russia’s news agency Interfax on May 10 that Russia is ready to crack down on Tajikistan if Tajik authorities do not review their decision on banning Russian children under the age of six from leaving Tajikistan in connection with a polio outbreak introduce.

Tajik MFA dismissed the statement by Onishchenko.  The MFA spokesman Davalt Nazriyev noted that Russian children could enter or leave the country without any restrictions.

According to Russian officials, some 1,000 children with Russian citizenship live in Tajikistan with their parents.