Australia eyes Kyrgyzstan as new refugee destination

Australia is reportedly considering sending the refugees who are kept in the country’s notorious offshore detention facilities to Kyrgyzstan.

The Weekend Australian newspaper reported on Saturday that Kyrgyzstan was seen by authorities as a potential option for resettling refugees, particularly those from Afghanistan’s Shia Hazara community, who are currently kept in the Pacific island countries of Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

The paper said that other former Soviet Union states along with some African and South American countries were also included in the list of Canberra’s options for resettling refugees.

Commenting on the report, Australian Finance Minister Mathias Cormann only said that Canberra was “having conversations with other countries to support our offshore processing arrangements, and when we’re in a position to make relevant announcements, the minister for immigration will do so.”