All border disputes with Tajikistan have been fully resolved, announced Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov. Issues regarding disputed territories, which had long been a source of disagreement between the two countries, were settled on terms of mutual equality, Japarov said, sharing some details of the agreement, reports Economist.kg.
According to the Kyrgyz president, the delimitation of borders adhered to the principle of equality and consideration of both sides' interests.
"Disputed areas were divided equally - 50/50. Some territories were exchanged on equal terms," Japarov noted. "Currently, the intergovernmental commission is finalizing the necessary documents. After their signing by the foreign ministers, the documents will go through ratification in the parliaments of both countries, and the final signature will be affixed by the presidents. This will conclude the process, leaving no more disputed border issues."
Border posts with Tajikistan, which have remained closed for the past three years, are planned to reopen following the completion of the delimitation process.
"This was also requested by local residents. People asked for the posts to be reopened after the delimitation process was completed. For three years, border posts have remained closed, resulting in economic losses for both sides. Trade and economic ties were suspended. Now, our goal is to reopen the border posts and elevate trade between our countries to the highest level," Sadyr Japarov added.
The head of state expressed hope that resolving border issues would create favorable conditions for attracting investors and tourists, ultimately improving the standard of living for residents of both countries in the long term.
Border disputes between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have been going on since they gained independence in 1991. The disputes were mainly over the dividing line of the border, which could pass through populated areas, over arable land, and over the distribution of irrigation water. The most violent disputes involving heavy weapons and equipment occurred in 2021 and 2022.
As a result of personal negotiations between the presidents of the two countries in 2022, the relevant government agencies were instructed to resolve all contentious issues in dividing the border as soon as possible. The heads of the special services of the two countries were appointed to head the state commissions, who held multiple meetings over two years and helped speed up the resolution of contentious issues.
After the last meeting between the head of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan Kamchybek Tashiev and the head of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan Saimudin Yatimov, it was announced that full agreement had been reached on the contentious issues of the border between the two countries.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
December 13, 2024