EU Politicians Eye Kazakhstan And Uzbekistan As Possible Sites For Migrant Return Centers
Illustration: elements.envato.com
EU countries are considering creating extraterritorial camps for deported migrants, with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan among the possible locations, Orda.kz reports, citing Politico.
Ministers from Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, and Greece discussed the idea of establishing so-called “return centers” — camps outside the European Union where people whose asylum applications have been rejected could be sent.
According to Politico's insiders, the countries expect to take “concrete steps” by the end of the year and are considering eight to 10 states as potential partners. These partners could be offered investment and eased visa rules. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are mentioned among the possible candidates, but no official agreements have been concluded.
Answering a question about refugee support centers at a briefing in Astana, Yerlan Zhetybayev, chairman of the International Information Committee at Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Kazakh diplomats had not held such negotiations.
As far as I know, there are no such negotiations regarding refugee support centers. We are holding talks with the EU on simplifying visa requirements for our citizens. If a citizen has left their country illegally, we undertake to ensure that they return to their country,Zhetybayev said.
In February, Kazakhstan’s parliament ratified an agreement with Austria on the readmission and transit of illegal migrants. A similar agreement with France came into force a month earlier. These treaties regulate return and transit procedures, but do not concern the establishment of camps outside the EU.
Read also:
- Kazakhstan Moves to Rebuild Its Migration System
- Deputies Criticize Kazakh Language Test For Ethnic Kazakh Returnees
- Astana Woman Jailed For Visa Fraud Worth Nearly 900 Million Tenge
Latest news
- Orda.kz Editorial Team to Cease Operations on September 1
- The Price of a Degree: How Students in Kazakhstan Pay for University
- Second Przewalski’s Horse Foal Born as Species Returns to Kazakhstan
- Kazakh Mining Companies Can Recalculate Purchases if Tenge Weakens
- Kazakhstan Names First Vice President in Three Decades
- What Almaty’s Bus Shelters Are Missing
- 400-Truck Queue Builds at Kazakh–Kyrgyz Border
- Kazakhstan Ready to Help Feed and Rebuild Gaza
- Tokayev Establishes New Presidential Security Body
- Almaty Takes Back Its Nearly Century-Old Hippodrome
- No More Guesswork on Savings: Kazakhstan Tightens Energy Audits for Businesses
- Public Money Could Be Used to Rescue Failing Kazakh Banks
- Third Kazakh Woman Reported Missing in Nepal-China Flood Zone
- Falconer Convicted Over 35 Protected Birds, Spared Punishment Under Amnesty
- Kazakh Citizen Detained in Yakutia in Phone Fraud Case
- Yuan Instead of Dollars? KazMunayGas Draws Record Demand in Asia
- China Gains Oil-Market Influence as OPEC+ Weakens
- Kazakhstan to Divide Smartphones Into White, Gray and Black Lists
- Kazakhstan’s Government Formally Resigns as First Kurultai Session Opens
- Rare Lynx Sighting Recorded in Northern Kazakhstan
