First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yerzhan Ashikbayev explained the difficulties with returning Kazakhstani citizens from the combat zone in Ukraine. According to him, the ministry is verifying the circumstances of each case, and citizens bear responsibility for the documents they have signed.
WHY THE RETURN OF CITIZENS IS BEING DELAYED
According to Ulysmedia.kz, Yerzhan Ashikbayev stated that Kazakhstan faces legal difficulties in returning its citizens who are on the territory of another state.
"Because it is a different jurisdiction. There are signed agreements. We ask you to be understanding. We are doing everything in our power," explained the First Deputy Head of the Foreign Ministry.
He did not give specific timelines for the return of citizens.
WHO BEARS RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING
Journalists also asked Ashikbayev whether the situation could have arisen due to insufficient work by the Kazakhstani consulate in Russia. The Foreign Ministry representative disagreed with such an assessment and drew attention to the responsibility of the citizens themselves.
According to him, Kazakhstani citizens need to carefully read documents before signing. At the same time, the ministry does not rule out cases where people could have ended up in the combat zone as a result of deception.
"For each case, we are currently establishing what these documents are, how and on what grounds they ended up there," stated Ashikbayev.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE REVIEW OF APPEALS
In early October, a group of Kazakhstani citizens recorded a video appeal asking for help after, according to them, instead of working as security guards in Russia, they were offered to go to the war in Ukraine. For refusing, as the young men claim, they were threatened with 15 years of imprisonment.
Later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) reported, that it continues to review citizens' appeals and is negotiating with the Russian side about their return to their homeland. After verifying the information, the ministry intends to send the compiled list of citizens to the Russian side.
