UNHCR established its office in Turkmenistan in July 1995, to assist the government with the large Tajik refugee population, some 20 000 refugees at its peak, who arrived Turkmenistan country during and in the aftermath of the civil war in Tajikistan 1991/92, and to help the creation of a legal and institutional capacity system to deal with refugees and asylum seekers. 

In Turkmenistan, UNHCR operations have two following major objectives:

• Continue advocate for the fulfilment by the State of its commitments under the 1951 refugee Convention, including the creation of a sound and functioning RSD unit within the national agency, State Service for Registration of Foreigners, and support to a working group of representatives of law-making bodies to amend and improve the current refugee legislation
• Advocate for continued actions by the government to eliminate statelessness and ensure access to the national naturalisation mechanisms for all remaining refugees. 

  For more information visit http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/page?page=49e487396