DUSHANBE, April 2, 2014, Asia-Plus — A full-fledged cargo traffic through the Tajik-Kyrgyz border is starting today, First Deputy Minister of Transport of Tajikistan, Sherali Ganjalov, told Asia-Plus Wednesday afternoon.
“Some border crossing points (BCPs) along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border opened on March 31 but only passenger cars have still been allowed proceeding via crossings. Cargo traffic has not yet started,” Tajik transportation official told Asia-Plus in an interview.
According to him, many trucks carrying goods to Tajikistan have been held in the Kyrgyz city of Osh and many Tajikistan-bound commodities have remained unloaded at Kyrgyz railway stations.
“Full-fledged cargo traffic through the Kyrgyz-Tajik border is starting today,” Ganjalov added.
We will recall that some checkpoints along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border opened on March 31 for the first time since mid-January.
According to Radio Liberty’s Kyrgyz Service, the Karamyk and Bordobo border crossings have started functioning fully while checkpoints at Kulundu and Kairagach are allowing residents who live close to the border to cross as pedestrians. Other checkpoints still remain closed, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported on March 31.
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.
