BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 14
By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:
Measures related to protection of refugees and stateless persons were discussed by Turkmenistan and the representatives of The Regional Representation of UNHCR for Central Asia, Trend reports with reference to Turkmenistan’s State News Agency.
This issue was discussed during a videoconference held between the Turkmenistan and UNHCR officials.
Turkmenistan values interaction with UN humanitarian agencies, contributes to the solution of the problem of statelessness persons and follows measures aimed at protecting and supporting refugees.
Turkmenistan has ratified all 4 UN conventions on refugees and stateless persons. The country is the first state in all of Central Asia that joined this Convention. A national plan of elimination of stateless person was developed last year.
Turkmenistan and UNHCR signed the Cooperation Agreement on March 4, 1998. The Agreement entitles UNHCR to pursue its primary purpose of safeguarding the rights and well-being of refugees and asylum-seekers and assisting refugees in finding durable solutions.
In 2019, Turkmenistan's State Migration Service said that over 8,000 stateless people have received citizenship of Turkmenistan. Moreover, Turkmenistan adopted a national plan to reduce the number of stateless persons, covering the period from 2019 to 2024.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva