The first joint meeting of border services of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan has taken place in the Tajik northern Sughd province.
“Presided over by Colonel-General Rajabali Rahmonali, Chef of the Main Border Guard Directorate under the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) of Tajikistan and Major-General Ruslan Mirzayev, Commander of Border Troops under National Security Service of Uzbekistan, the first joint meeting of border services of the two countries took place in the Tajik northern city of Guliston (formerly Qairoqqum) on December 21-22,” a spokesman for the Main Border Directorate of Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus in an interview.
The meeting was reportedly focused on the current situation on the Tajik-Uzbek border and the countries’ common borders with Afghanistan.
Recall, a joint exercise for Tajik and Uzbek border guards, dubbed Jaihun-2018, was conducted in August this year. The scenario of the exercise that was conducted at the turn of borders of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan in the Tajik district of Shahritous (Khatlon province) was reportedly based on an armed gang breaking through the Afghan-Tajik border. Tajik and Uzbek border guards have jointly repulsed the attack.
The main purpose of the exercise was in rehearsing interaction in preventing invasion of armed gangs and large-scale drug trafficking.
During Islam Karimov's 27-year rule in Uzbekistan, its relations with Tajikistan and other Central Asian nations were strained by disputes over transit routes, border security, water resources, and other issues. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who came to power following the death of Islam Karimov in 2016, has said mending of better relations with Uzbekistan's neighbors is a priority for his government.
