DUSHANBE, January 13, 2014, Asia-Plus — There ought to be careful on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border and not to succumb to provocations, Khudoberdi Kholiqnazarov, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Tajikistan, told journalists in Dushanbe on January 13.
According to him, some forces may use the situation that emerged on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border in their own interest. Kholiqnazarov warned that third forces can make provocations.
He noted that countries sharing the Ferghana Valley inherited unclear borders when they gained independence in 1991.
“Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan share 970-kilometer border and only 567 kilometers of its have been delineated so far,” said Kholiqnazarov. “It is very difficult to delineate the disputed segments of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border in a short space of time. The main thing is that our countries must trust each other and solve the problem peacefully.”
We will recall that in a statement released on January11, Tajikistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) blamed the Kyrgyz side for starting the problem.
The Tajik statement said the incident started on January 11 at 12:20 after Kyrgyz workers using armed cover of soldiers started doing work on a road, part of which passes through Tajikistan.
Meanwhile, Kyrgyz authorities say a clash on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan can be regarded as a military operation planned in advance by the Tajik side.
Radio Liberty’s Kyrgyz Service reports that Kyrgyz Vice Premier for Law and Security Tokon Mamytov said on January 12 in Bishkek that the clash the previous day must have been carefully prepared because it involved “ordnance, namely, mortars, and grenade-launchers.”
