13:05, 21 June 2004

23,000 refugees from Chechnya, Iran, Afghanistan stay in Azerbaijan

On June 18, the Center for Legal Assistance to Migrants conducted a roundtable discussion devoted to World Refugee Day, June 20.

Director of the center Alovsat Aliyev subjected the work of the UNHCR office in Azerbaijan to criticism. This organization does not grant refugee status to people arriving in Azerbaijan, he said. 12 thousand Chechens, approximately 4 thousand Iranians, and approximately 7 thousand Afghans stay in Azerbaijan. But no one of them has been granted refugee status.

Therefore these people have to apply illegal methods to move to other countries. All this contributes to the image of Azerbaijan as a transit country for illegal migrants.

According to Mr Aliyev, conditions for the resolution of refugees' problems in the educational, medical and social fields must also be created.

Source: TURAN Information Agency (Azerbaijan)