by Vitaly Volkov
Deutsche Welle
Migrant workers heading overseas could help Turkmenistan tackle its economic crisis.Yet the Turkmen authorities have declared war against them.But experts claim that it is not only against them.
The severe economic crisis that Turkmenistan is undergoing encourages the residents to leave the country to go overseas, primarily in search of jobs.However, the incumbent authorities of Turkmenistan continue the policy initiated by the first President Niyazov by creating more and more new obstacles to stop various groups of residents attempting to exit the country.
Nevertheless, Chairperson of the Vienna-based human rights organization “The Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights” (TIHR), Farid Tukhbatulin, says that under the conditions of mass unemployment and a multitude of social problems, the authorities should be interested in making sure the country’s residents find jobs, even overseas, and support their relatives in Turkmenistan.
He claims that residents are primarily confronted with obstacles at the airports, which impose very tough conditions to exit the country.
Which roads lead out of Turkmenistan?
“The bulk of those who depart the country travel by air.There is no railroad communication with Turkmenistan’s neighbouring countries.For inhabitants of areas bordering Kazakhstan there is a possibility to cross the border into Kazakhstan, but for the past two months the border was closed following a decision of Turkmenistan.
There is a ferry service between Turkmenbashi and Baku but it operates only for cargos and just a few residents can use this means of transportation”, — the TIHR head points out.
“Except for the notorious “black lists” of those barred from travelling overseas introduced under Niyazov’s Presidency, which, according to various estimates, include about 20 thousand people, there are very vague restrictions imposed by border guard officers.
Unconfirmed reports are circulating that people under 40 years are now denied exit from the country”— a DW interlocutor says.According to him, no specific instruction is available but there is a practice in place which allows officials from the Migration and Border Patrol Service to deprive the Turkmen residents of the right to exit the country at their discretion.
“On almost every flight ten, twenty or even thirty passengers are prevented from boarding the plane without explaining the reason.Later, however, even if this has happened owing to a misunderstanding, the citizen barred from boarding the plane will in any case be included in the “black list” for several years” — Tukhbatullin emphasizes.
Moreover, he says, the authorities are making every effort to return migrant workers to Turkmenistan, the majority of whom are working in Turkey (no entrance visas are required and Turkmen residents can stay in Turkey up to 90 days but after the expiry date they try to stay and work there illegally).
“Cases have been recorded when by the use of force or fraud the Turkmen authorities returned these people back to their home country.There are unconfirmed reports that such a campaign was conducted a month ago.
Ashgabat promised that those migrant workers who extended their stays illegally would be forgiven and permitted to go overseas again to earn a living.People returned voluntarily but were included in the “black lists” in Turkmenistan and had to pay a fine”, — the human rights defender says.
He estimates that the number of migrant workers in Turkey and some other countries, for example in Cyprus or Egypt, amounts to several hundred thousand. “Turkey has some quotas for migrants from Turkmenistan.
However, according to our estimates, only 15 percent out of a total number of migrants manage to obtain a working visa”, — Farid Tukhbatullin reports.
Barriers for Turkmen migrants
In case migrants violate regulations for instance, the term of stay in the country the authorities of Turkey hand over the offenders to Turkmenistan. “Many migrants are hiding from both Turkey’s authorities and the Turkmen special services.
As a former Ambassador to Turkey, I can say that even under Niyazov’s presidency, although the flow of migrants back then was not so big, special services agents from Turkmenistan came to Turkey in search of illegal migrants.
They were operating mainly in Istanbul”, — Nurmukhammed Khanamov, leader of opposition Republican Party of Turkmenistan in exile says.
However, it would be a mistake to assume that the authorities are only concerned about travel bans for migrant workers.Khanamov says that it is also problematic for a Turkmen male or female resident to get married overseas. “Here is an example: a girl intended to marry a citizen of Turkey.
They made a decision to register the marriage and have their wedding in Turkey.However, a certificate from Turkmenistan proving that the girl is single is required to be presented in Turkey.
Thus, the bride applied for this certificate in Turkmenistan.The information that a male or a female resident made such a request immediately goes to the Migration office”, — an opposition politician based in Vienna says.
In the Migration office the applicant is included in the black list of those barred from exiting the country.Not aware of this procedure, the girl, Khanamov continues, obtains a certificate and buys an airline ticket to go to her groom.
The wedding preparations are underway and the relatives are gathering but the girl is stopped at Ashgabat airport. “After some constraints and difficulties she buys another ticket, but is denied exit at the airport again only to be informed that since the last time a five year travel ban has been imposed on her!
Here is another example: a young man was going to get married in Ukraine and before the departure he was informed that the travel ban was imposed on him.
He had been included in the black list when he applied for the same certificate.This is a common trend”, the opposition member claims.
In his turn, Farid Tukhbatullin says there are certain categories of residents who have traditionally failed to travel overseas. “Women under 35 y.o.who are not escorted by parents or a spouse are virtually always denied exit.
Young men who have not done military service are also barred from leaving the country.Nevertheless, in 2017 there were examples that even those who had done military service were prevented from exiting the country under the pretext that they can get to Iraq or Syria via Turkey and use the skills they had acquired in the army.
It is impossible to keep track of these requirements initiated by the authorities since the majority of them are unofficial”,— the TIHR Chairperson complains.
The Turkmen elite packing suitcases and the country’s reputation
It should be noted that the migration flow from Turkmenistan is on the rise. “According to our sources, residents are heading overseas not only in search of jobs a large number of small-scale, mid-size entrepreneurs and business leaders are leaving the country and through a variety of means are relocating their businesses and taking their capital abroad.
Moreover, if representatives of ethnic minorities Russians, Kazakhs used to leave the country in the past, now the immigrants consist primarily of Turkmen, including representatives of the elite.Business people are taking advantage of the opportunities provided by corruption to be able to flee the country”, — Farid Tukhbatullin adds.
One may recall that during his last year of presidency in Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov had an extremely negative attitude towards the labour migration of his fellow residents overseas.
However, the Uzbek authorities were very well aware of the fact that the money transferred by migrant workers back to their home country played a very important role for the weak economy of the country and for the social sphere as well.
Therefore, they did not create serious obstacles to them.According to Farid Tukhabutillin, the Turkmen authorities are aware of advantages of the labour migration.
“One might get an impression from conversations with former officials of different levels, including the regional ones, that the authorities are very concerned by what they imply by the word “reputation”.
The fact that a lot of people are leaving the country suggests that the country is experiencing problems.As perceived by the authorities, if they manage to get the majority of migrants back and state they are content, this will have a positive effect on Turkmenistan’s international image”, — he points out.
However, another aspect needs to be taken into consideration. “If there are reasons to believe that the statistical population data, which has not been published by Ashgabat, are in reality so low, the authorities were shocked and are trying to remedy the situation by undertaking these measures”, a human rights defender assumed in an interview to DW.
Meanwhile, according to the Russian media holding RBK, Turkmenistan’s Migration office gave the following comment to its journalists in late June: “Turkmenistan’s residents can leave the country unhampered”.