More than 200 Uzbek citizens to be returned from Syria and Iraq

Uzbekistan expects the return of another 170 people from Syria and 65 children from Iraq, Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov said at a meeting of the UN Security Council on September 25.

“We expect the return of 65 children from Iraq and 170 people from Syria. In this sense, we need the support of international organizations and those states that are directly involved in the processes in the Middle East. This applies primarily to the assistance provided by the permanent members of the Security Council who are present here. We are ready for such cooperation,” Kamilov said.

At the same time, he recalled that in May, Uzbekistan carried out a “difficult and risky” operation to return 156 of its citizens from the conflict zone in the Middle East.

“I hope that the successful conduct of such operations can have a serious positive impact, so that new groups do not seek to get into this kind of conflict zone,” the minister said.

Speaking about the constantly-sounding threats of terrorism that supposedly emanate from Central Asia, Kamilov noted that he would not want the international community to firmly believe that the region is “an area, a space where there is a huge potential for terrorism, extremism and all of these processes”.

“Today, a completely new political atmosphere has developed in this region, mutual trust between the leaders is being strengthened,” Kamilov emphasized.

According to him, over the past three years, countries have managed to solve very complex issues – delimitation of state borders, water resources management, development of transport communications and establishment of a high level of security cooperation.