Central Asia Leads the World in Repatriating Citizens from Syria

Central Asian countries are global leaders in repatriating their citizens from refugee camps in north-eastern Syria, Khalid Koser, head of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), told RIA Novosti.

Koser stated that Central Asian nations have brought back around 2,200 people from Syria. Kazakhstan repatriated 754 individuals, Kyrgyzstan 533, and Uzbekistan 531, while Tajikistan returned 381.

Koser added that, unlike Central Asia, European countries have not been involved in repatriation efforts, choosing to ignore the situation in the camps.

“If you compare Belgium with Tajikistan, Tajikistan would say, ‘These are our citizens, we are responsible for them,'” Koser commented on the situation.

GCERF, established in autumn 2014, supports initiatives aimed at preventing extremism and violence. The fund’s donors include the United States, the European Union, and Japan.