Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry comments on reports of mass deportation of Russians

Tengrinews.kz – Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yerzhan Ashykbayev commented on reports of the mass deportation of Russians who arrived in the country after the announcement of mobilization. He stated that all decisions regarding the return of foreign nationals are made in accordance with Kazakhstan's international obligations and national legislation.
According to him, issues related to the return of foreign nationals are strictly considered within the framework of Kazakhstan's international commitments and national laws.

"We operate in accordance with our international obligations. The issue of the return of citizens to their country, which is reported by the media, requires compliance with the corresponding national procedures. First of all, the person is granted refugee status, after which the relevant authorities make a decision," Ashykbayev explained.

He noted that if a person disagrees with the decision, they have the right to appeal it in court.

"If the citizen disagrees with this decision, they can appeal to the court. Only after a court ruling can procedures for the return of the person to their country of origin be carried out," the First Deputy Minister added.

Journalists also inquired about how many requests Russian authorities have sent to Kazakhstan regarding the extradition of citizens in connection with criminal prosecution or other reasons.

"I don't have that information at the moment. I don’t think you expect me to have it. Such requests go through the relevant competent government authorities," Ashykbayev responded.

Earlier, Mazhilis deputy Zharkynbek Amantayuly proposed to ease punishment for participants in foreign conflicts. This concerns Kazakhstanis who were not members of terrorist organizations and voluntarily returned to their homeland.