The State Migration Service of Turkmenistan on Friday hosted a ceremony of handing Turkmen passports to the stateless persons who were earlier granted Turkmenistan’s citizenship.
The ceremony followed the Decree of the President of Turkmenistan signed on September 19 on granting the citizenship of Turkmenistan.
The event was attended by the Head of the State Migration Service Nazar Atagarayev and employees of the service, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Dmitry Shlapachenko, Human Rights and Political Affairs Officer at the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Armands Pupols, persons who were granted the citizenship, and the media.
This year, 2,657 stateless persons permanently residing in the country have become citizens of Turkmenistan.
During the event, the Head of the State Migration Service said under the leadership of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, to date, 14,980 stateless persons have received the citizenship of Turkmenistan.
In his speech, the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Dmitry Shlapachenko expressed his gratitude to the government of Turkmenistan for its efforts to reduce statelessness.
In 2020, 2,580 stateless persons were granted Turkmenistan’s citizenship.
On September 19, the President of Turkmenistan signed decrees on the admission of a group of stateless persons permanently residing in the country to the citizenship of Turkmenistan, and on issuing a group of foreign citizens a residence permit in the country.
