2,000 Uzbek nationals stranded at Kazakh-Uzbek border allowed to cross border, head home

AKIPRESS.COM - Around 2,000 Uzbek nationals, who remained near checkpoint Jibek Joly in Turkestan region at the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan since last week after the countries had closed borders, crossed border on July 9, Saryagash district governor Mukhit Otarshiyev said.
Region officials earlier reported that the number of migrants near Jibek Joly reached 3,000. Most of them are Tajik and Uzbek nationals who work in Kazakhstan.
Uzbekistan closed its borders in March because of pandemic and did not allow anyone to cross due to absence of places in quarantine center for 14-day-quarantine.
Mukhit Otarshiyev said that 3,400 migrants arrived at the car parking near the checkpoint by the evening on July 8. Around 2,000 of them crossed Uzbek border at night. 500 more citizens are allowed to return.
"These 500 people have already started crossing the border. Uzbekistan's Embassy promised that all remaining people will return home by evening. More than 900 people remain at the border. Uzbek migrants continue to arrive," Otarshiyev said.
Tajikistan's Embassy reported that around 50 Tajik nationals remain at the Jibek Joly checkpoint.
Uzbekistan closed borders due to pandemic at the end of March and did not allow foreign citizens to transit.
As a result, hundreds of Tajik nationals had to live near the border for weeks to transit home through Uzbekistan.
According to the Embassy, around 700 Tajikistanis crossed the border and transited through Uzbekistan at the beginning of the last month.