Recognition of university diplomas among Central Asian states denied

Earlier, reports circulated claiming that diplomas issued by Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan would now be recognized directly within the territories of these countries. In response to the situation, the Agency for Assessment of Knowledge and Qualifications has issued a clarification.

According to the agency, the recognition of diplomas issued abroad in Uzbekistan is carried out in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Education” and the regulations approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 620 of 24 July 2019, titled “On the procedure for recognizing documents confirming education obtained in foreign countries.” This regulation defines the categories of foreign educational documents that may be recognized directly in the territory of Uzbekistan.

“The information mentioned above is baseless. At present, there is no international agreement between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan on the mutual recognition of diplomas. The recognition of foreign diplomas in these countries is carried out in accordance with the requirements established in their respective national legislation,” the agency stated.

It is worth noting that the initial reports were published by Kazakh media outlets. They claimed that on 12 November this year, the Government of Kazakhstan had signed a resolution approving an “Agreement on the mutual recognition of higher education documents between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Government of Turkmenistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan.” However, no information was provided on when or where such an agreement was reached.