Kyrgyzstan to evacuate Kyrgyz refugees who fled from Afghanistan to Tajikistan

AKIPRESS.COM - Kyrgyzstan will evacuate Kyrgyz refugees who fled from Afghanistan to Tajikistan, the Foreign Mnistry of Kygyzstan said.
The Foreign Ministry said the first report about crossing of the border of Tajikistan by ethnic Kyrgyz from Little Pamir of Afghanistan was received from the Embassy of Kyrgyzstan in Kabul on July 12.
The Embassy contacted representatives of ethnic Kyrgyz and confirmed Afghanistan's Kyrgyz indeed headed to Kyzyl-Rabat village of Murgab district of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan.
It was reported earlier that 347 refugees, including 91 men, 77 women and 177 minors, all of them are natives of Andemin village, Wakhan district of Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan, fled to Tajikistan escaping from Taliban.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Regional Office of the UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees in Central Asia and UNHCR Office in Kyrgyzstan concerning the situation with Afghan Kyrgyz, who were sheltered in Tajikistan, asked UNHCR's assistance in organization of their evacuation to Kyrgyzstan.
The Foreign Ministry said the note was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan with request to provide unimpeded travel of Afghan Kyrgyz until the crossing point into Kyrgyzstan. The respective request was voiced on July 13 by First Deputy Foreign Minister Nuran Niyazaliev on the sidelines of the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Foreign Ministers Council in Dushanbe.
"This issue is under control of the President and Cabinet. Government agencies were given respective tasks. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working with the government of Tajikistan and UNHCR on further evacuation of Kyrgyz refugees to Kyrgyzstan," the Foreign Ministry said.
Kyrgyzstan hopes Tajikistan will provide all possible assistance on its part, the Foreign Ministry said.