DUSHANBE, March 17, 2014, Asia-Plus – Co-chaired by Sherali Khairulloyev, the Aide to the President of Tajikistan for National Security and Tokon Mamytov, Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, the next round of talks between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on demarcation and delimitation of disputed segments of mutual border took place in Batken, Kyrgyzstan on March 16, a source in the Tajik government told Asia-Plus today morning.
According to him, the sides exchanged materials prepared by members of the working groups for settlement of border issues and agreed to hold the next round of border talks in Batken on March 20.
We will recall that the previous meeting that took place on March 3 behind closed doors ended with signing of a protocol on continuation of work of relevant commissions for settlement of the situation in the disputed areas of the border. The protocol was inked by Tajik Deputy Prime Minister Murodali Alimardon and Kyrgyz Deputy Minister Tokon Mamytov, who co-chaired the meeting.
Five Kyrgyz border guards, one Kyrgyz policeman, and two Tajik border guards were hospitalized with injuries on January 11 after tensions escalated into exchanges of gunfire along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border. The clash started when Tajiks protested Kyrgyzstan’s construction of a bypass road through a disputed area. Tajikistan has requested to halt the construction of the road until the border is delimited.
Kyrgyzstan recalled its ambassador to Tajikistan and unilaterally closed border crossing points (BCPs) on its common border with Tajikistan
The BCPs on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border remain closed, the source noted.
