Uzbekistan Denies Reports on EU Migrant Centers

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry has denied reports suggesting that the country may host centers for migrants being returned from the European Union, saying the information is not true.

The statement was made to “Gazeta” by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Omonulla Fayziev.

Earlier, the US publication Politico reported, citing three unnamed European diplomats, that a group of EU countries was planning to approach 8–10 non-EU states with proposals to host centers for migrants whose asylum applications had been rejected.

According to the report, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Greece are working on creating joint return hubs, as well as offshore asylum processing centers outside the EU. In exchange, countries agreeing to participate could be offered development assistance or visa liberalization.

One diplomat told Politico that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were being considered as potential partners.

Responding to the report, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: “At present, negotiations on this issue with European Union institutions are not being conducted and are not planned.”

Kazakhstan’s official representative, Erlan Zhytbayev, also stated on June 1 that Kazakhstan is not holding talks with the EU on establishing special centers for rejected asylum seekers in exchange for visa facilitation, according to TASS.

He added that Kazakhstan is currently discussing visa facilitation with the European side, as well as a readmission agreement under which the country would accept back its citizens who have illegally left abroad.

In October 2025, Uzbekistan and the European Union signed an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. At the time, it was noted that this opened the way for possible negotiations on readmission and visa facilitation.

In December, Uzbekistan and the EU began talks on simplifying visa procedures.

Discussions included easing visa processes for citizens traveling to the EU for work and study, as well as for truck drivers and tourist groups.