DUSHANBE, July 31, 2015, Asia-Plus – On Thursday July 30, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Aslov received Mr. Bernard Doyle, UNHCR Regional Representative/Regional Coordinator for Central Asia and Mr. Kevin Allen, UNHCR Representative in Tajikistan, according to the Tajik MFA information department.

The sides reportedly exchanged views on activities of the UNHCR Country Office in Tajikistan on providing protection and assistance to refugees and asylum-seekers in the country and the Central Asian region as a whole.

UNHCR opened an office in Tajikistan in 1993, when the country was torn by civil war two years after the country declared its independence from the Soviet Union.  That year, Tajikistan became the first country in Central Asia to accede to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.  It was also the first country in the region to adopt national refugee legislation.  UNHCR has helped people displaced by the civil war to return home as well as assisting refugees.

In Tajikistan, UNHCR works closely with the Government and other partners to identify and achieve solutions for stateless people.  UNHCR also supports the strengthening of national asylum systems, while ensuring sufficient capacity to address any gaps in mandate RSD (refugee status determination).