Kazakhstan, UNHCR strengthen cooperation on migration and refugee issues
On January 21, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Ashikbayev met with Mahir Safarli, the newly appointed Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for Central Asia, Qazinform News Agency learned from the press service of the Kazakh MFA.
The sides discussed current international issues, including the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to establish the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty. Special attention was given to the Almaty Process, which Kazakhstan has chaired since April 2025.
Safarli thanked the Kazakh side for a constructive partnership and open dialogue. Both parties underlined the importance of strengthening multilateral cooperation and coordinating efforts to advance sustainable development while addressing humanitarian and migration challenges in the region and globally.
The Almaty Process, launched in 2013, serves as a regional consultative platform on refugee protection and international migration in Central Asia. The chairmanship for 2025-2027 has been transferred from Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan. Member states include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Türkiye, with IOM and UNHCR acting as the secretariat.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that Kazakhstani nationals llegally working in the Republic of Korea may voluntarily leave the country without fines and re-entry ban until the end of February 2026.
