WORLD MIGRATION BODY READY TO HELP AZERIS REGISTER IRANIAN MIGRANTS
ANS TV, Baku
25 Mar 06
[Presenter] Under the European Neighbourhood Policy, the EU and
the International Organization for Migration [IOM] are working
to reinforce the Azerbaijani-Iranian border. The goal here is to
prevent narcotics being smuggled from Iran to Azerbaijan, and there
are also political aspects because it has been admitted that there
is an influx of migrants from Iran to Azerbaijan. Both economic and
political interests are involved here.
[Correspondent] The next discussions on the implementation of the
project for reinforcing the Azerbaijani border within the framework
of the European Neighbourhood Policy will be held in Brussels in
a few days. The IOM's representative in Azerbaijan, Sarat Dash,
has told ANS that EU and IOM representatives will participate in
the talks. Immediately afterwards, training courses for Azerbaijani
border guards will start. The border guards will be taught ways of
dealing with an influx of refugees. We should note that the project,
on which 2m euros will be spent initially, envisages fitting the
249-km-long border with Iran with special equipment and beefing up
the infrastructure.
The IOM representative believes that the reinforcement of Azerbaijan's
southern border will be of major importance towards prevention of
transnational crime, including drugs smuggling from Iran to Azerbaijan.
Sarat Dash admitted that more people have been crossing from Iran to
Azerbaijan in the past few months. He said Iranian migrants are not
being registered currently but the IOM is ready to help the Azerbaijani
government in this respect.
[Dash] The visa regime has been changed in Naxcivan. People can
[easily] travel from Iran to Naxcivan and from Naxcivan to Iran. I
recently visited Naxcivan and talked to officials. They said that many
people were coming and going, but there was no precise information. If
the government wants we could help [a few words indistinct].
[Correspondent] Sarat Dash said that the number of migrants coming
from both Iran and other countries to Azerbaijan is increasing. He
explained this by our country's economic development. Sarat Dash,
newly-appointed to the post of IOM's representative in Azerbaijan,
is also thinking of inquiring about IDPs from Azerbaijani districts
occupied by Armenia. The Cabinet of Ministers has asked the IOM for
help in resolving the problem of drinking water in areas where IDPs
are living and for micro-credits to be allocated, he said.
[passage omitted: Sarat Dash to visit refugee camps in April]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress