Kyrgyzstan Launches “Mekenim 1+1” Program to Support Returning Migrants

Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Migration has launched a new pilot initiative, Mekenim 1+1 (“My Homeland 1+1”), aimed at helping returning labor migrants reintegrate into the national economy by co-investing in local business ventures. The program introduces a matching investment model: for every som invested by a returning migrant, the state will provide a concessional loan of equal value. The combined funds must be used to start businesses in priority sectors including light industry, tourism, education, IT and innovation, manufacturing and processing, transport, warehousing, and logistics. The pilot phase will run from 2025 to 2026 in the Batken region, a remote area with high levels of labor migration. If successful, the program will be scaled up nationwide. Russia remains the primary destination for Kyrgyz labor migrants. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, approximately 600,000 Kyrgyz citizens currently live abroad, with nearly 380,000 registered with Russian migration authorities as of the end of 2024. However, Russia’s ongoing economic challenges, restrictive immigration policies, and rising anti-immigrant sentiment are prompting many Kyrgyz migrants to explore alternatives in countries such as Turkey, South Korea, and various parts of Europe. At the same time, a growing number are returning to Kyrgyzstan, making reintegration efforts like Mekenim 1+1 increasingly timely and significant.

Seven Uzbeks Deported from the U.S. Arrive in Tashkent

Uzbekistan has been in contact with Latin American governments and U.S. authorities regarding the deportation of its citizens from the United States, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahror Burhonov confirmed. Uzbek Citizens Returned from the U.S. Seven Uzbek nationals, who were initially set to be deported to Costa Rica, have been repatriated to Uzbekistan following negotiations with U.S. officials. “As a result of talks with the U.S., seven of our citizens, who were scheduled to be sent to Costa Rica but wished to return home, arrived in Uzbekistan on February 24 on a New York-Tashkent flight,” Burhonov announced on his Telegram channel. U.S. Deportation of Migrants The Times of Central Asia previously reported that 200 migrants from Central Asia and India were among those slated for deportation to Costa Rica as part of U.S. immigration enforcement measures. Additionally, a U.S. Air Force flight recently transported deportees from multiple countries, including Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, to Panama. Two more deportation flights are expected, bringing the total number of deportees to 360.