UNHCR notes achievements of Kyrgyzstan in reducing statelessness

Bishkek, Feb. 17, 2021 / Kabar /. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Nuran Niyazaliev held a meeting with Regional Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Central Asia Hans Friedrich Schodder on the occasion of his appointment to this position. The Foreign Ministry said that during the meeting, the sides discussed current issues of cooperation and promising areas of interaction between Kyrgyzstan and the UNHCR in the field of protecting the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and further preventing statelessness. The Kyrgyz deputy minister expressed gratitude to the UNHCR for the continued support of efforts aimed at strengthening the national asylum system and facilitating the local integration of refugees, as well as for the technical assistance provided to 3 competent state authorities of the Kyrgyz Republic in 2020 in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, the report said. In addition, Niyazaliev stressed that the Kyrgyz Republic consistently adheres to its international obligations under the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol on the Status of Refugees. “As a result of the joint efforts of the government of the Kyrgyz Republic and the UNHCR, in 2019 Kyrgyzstan was recognized as the first country in the world to eradicate all known cases of statelessness. In this regard, I would like to note that Kyrgyzstan will not stop at what has been achieved, the work in this direction will also continue with active cooperation with the UNHCR,” he said. In turn, Schodder also highly appreciated the current level of cooperation and expressed the readiness of the UNHCR to continue to assist the Kyrgyz Republic. He noted the achievements of the Kyrgyz Republic in the field of reducing statelessness, stressing that this is a positive example for the entire world community, in addition, called for acceding to the 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. At the same time, the representative handed the deputy minister a letter of credence from the leadership of the UNHCR regarding his appointment as the new regional representative of the UNHCR in Central Asia with a residence in Almaty. Niyazaliev congratulated Schodder on his appointment to a high position and expressed hope for the continuation of further fruitful cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic and the UNHCR He also wished Schodder success in his new mission as regional tepresentative of the UNHCR in Central Asia, and also assured the readiness of the government of the Kyrgyz Republic to provide further assistance and support to UNHCR projects and programs.