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The 3rd Ministerial Conference of the Almaty Process has been held in Baku
As a result of the Chairmanship of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Almaty Process, a regional consultative platform on international migration and refugee protection in Central Asia, the 3rd Ministerial Conference of the Process has been held in Baku on April 24 of this year.
Prior to the conference, participants visited the grave of National Leader Heydar Aliyev at the Alley of Honor, where they laid a wreath in his memory. Later on, the guests paid tribute at the Alley of Martyrs, honoring the courageous sons of the Motherland who sacrificed their lives in the fight for Azerbaijan’s independence and territorial integrity.
The guests also visited Victory Park in Baku. They received detailed information about the Victory Park, which was established to commemorate the heroism demonstrated by our people during the Patriotic War, as well as to honor our historic victory and martyrs.
Then, the 3rd Ministerial Conference of the Almaty Process commenced. In addition to representatives from the Republic of Azerbaijan, the conference was attended by delegations led by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Turkey, the State Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development of Pakistan, the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Kazakhstan, the Deputy Minister of Labor, Migration, and Employment of Tajikistan, the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, the Regional Director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for Europe and Central Asia, the Deputy Head of the Migration Agency of Uzbekistan, the Head of the Department of the Ministry of Labor, Social Security, and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan, and the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Italy in Azerbaijan.
Opening the conference with an opening remark, the Chief of the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, II rank state migration service counselor Vusal Huseynov, welcomed the guests and brought to their attention the significance of the Almaty Process, Azerbaijan’s migration management, and the achievements and initiatives of our country during its two-year Chairmanship to the Process, particularly emphasizing the importance of the Baku Declaration. He stated that the restoration of our territorial integrity as a result of the 44-day Patriotic War not only introduced new priorities to the country’s development agenda but also created new realities in terms of migration in Azerbaijan and the region.
The event also included speeches by the IOM Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Mr. Arthur Erken, as well as representatives of member, observer, and invited states of the Almaty Process, who discussed the future activities of the Almaty Process and national experiences of the participating states in the field of migration.
A video review showcasing the activities during the two-year Chairmanship of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Almaty Process was then presented.
During the continuation of the event, the Baku Declaration, prepared by the Republic of Azerbaijan in consultation with parties participating in the Almaty Process, and encouraging cooperation to enhance contribution of migration to regional development, mitigate the negative effects of climate change on mobility, and expand information exchange on migration, was adopted. The Chairmanship to the Almaty Process for the next two years was handed over to the Republic of Kazakhstan, which presented its priorities for the upcoming chairmanship term.
A commemorative photo was taken to mark the event.
Plenary discussions were subsequently held on the future of the dialogue and collaboration within the Almaty Process, with relevant proposals put forward for its development.
Additionally, bilateral meetings were held between the Chief of the State Migration Service, Vusal Huseynov, and the heads of delegations from the Republic of Turkey, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as with the Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, and during these meetings, opinion on the issues of mutual interest in the field of migration were exchanged.
