U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 1997 - Turkmenistan

In 1996, Turkmenistan hosted an estimated 20,000 refugees from Tajikistan and 2,000 from Afghanistan, as well as smaller numbers from Iran and Azerbaijan. Because Turkmenistan lacked refugee registration and status determination procedures, however, these figures were imprecise. In addition to government figures, UNHCR registered 330 refugees from Tajikistan, 69 from Afghanistan, and much smaller numbers from Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, the Russian Federation (Chechnya), and Georgia (Abkhazia). During the year, Turkmenistan affirmed its intention to accede to the UN Refugee Convention and Protocol, and UNHCR was helping the government prepare for accession, which was unlikely to happen for at least another two years. In anticipation of a plan to repatriate some 200,000 Afghan refugees living in Iran through Turkmenistan, UNHCR, in cooperation with the Turkmenistan government, had prepared four transit centers in Turkmenistan by September. At year's end, changes in the situation inside Afghanistan resulted in postponement of the repatriation.