Azerbaijan, Baku, 20 March / corr Trend E.Husyenov / In 2007 almost 1,500 citizens of Azerbaijan attempted to get asylum in foreign countries, which is 41% less than the previous year, according to the UN HCR report on Asylum Levels and Trends in Industrialized Countries 2007.
The top five countries of origin of asylum applicants in 2007 were Iraq (45,200 compared in 23,000 in 2006), the Russian Federation (18,800, or 19% more than in 2006), China (17,100), Serbia (15,400) and Pakistan (14,300)
In 2007 around 3,900 Armenian citizens attempted to get asylum (or 6% less than in 2006), 4,000 citizens of Georgia (more by 11%), 1,760 citizens of Moldova (minus 31%), 1,500 citizens of Ukraine (minus 31%), 1,300 citizens of Belarus (minus 30%).
Some 338,000 new applications for refugee status were submitted last year in 43 industrialised countries, a 10 percent rise compared to 2006, when 306,300 asylum claims were registered.
The top five countries of origin of asylum applicants in 2007 were Iraq (45,200), the Russian Federation (18,800), China (17,100), Serbia (15,400) and Pakistan (14,300).
The United States was the main country of destination for asylum seekers of all nationalities in 2007, with an estimated 49,200 new asylum claims. Sweden, which saw a 50 percent increase last year in the number of new asylum applications, was second with 36,200 claims, primarily by the arrival of large numbers of Iraqi asylum seekers. After the United States and Sweden, the main countries of destination for asylum seekers in 2007 were France (29,200), Canada (28,300) and the United Kingdom (27,900). Greece, Germany, Italy, Austria and Belgium were also among the top 10 receiving countries.