EU Politicians Eye Kazakhstan And Uzbekistan As Possible Sites For Migrant Return Centers
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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.
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