Appointment of Prime Minister Qohir Rasoulzoda as co-chairman of the Tajik-Uzbek commission for delimitation and demarcation of Tajikistan’s common border with Uzbekistan is evidence of the fact that Tajikistan attaches significance to solution of border problems with Uzbekistan, a Tajik official expert told Asia-Plus in an interview.
He believes the official Tashkent will also renew a composition of its delegation participating in border talks with Tajikistan and the Uzbek delegation will be led by Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov.
“Political heavyweights will put an end to the border dispute between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan,” the source said, noting that the Tajik-Uzbek commission for delimitation and demarcation of the mutual border will meet at the beginning of 2018.
Significant breakthrough is expected in relations between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan after solution of border disputes.
Thus, the countries could reach an agreement on visa-free travels for their nationals, reopening of auto and rail communication, opening of new border crossing points along the mutual border, etc.
Recall, by government’s decree Tajik new border commission is headed by Prime Minister Qohir Rasoulzoda and its members include Azim Ibrohim, Deputy Prime Minister, Sirojiddin Aslov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rustam Shohmurod, Minister of Justice, Rajabboy Ahmadzoda, Chairperson of the State Committee on Land Management and Geodesy, and some other officials. In all, the list of the commission members includes nineteen persons.
The Tajik-Uzbek border is 1,332 kilometers, some 16 percent of which remains disputed; landmines are planted by Uzbek authorities in certain sections of the border.
Working groups of the government delegations of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan gathered in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, on November 14 last year to discuss issues related to delimitation and demarcation of disputable stretches of the mutual border. The practical issues of legal registration of the Uzbek-Tajik border were the focus of the meeting. The sides reportedly also exchanged views on separate disputable stretches of the border.
There are 16 border crossing points (BCPs) on Tajikistan’s common border with Uzbekistan; nine of them have an international status. Twelve BCPs on the Tajik-Uzbek border are located in the northern Sughd province and the remaining four BCPs are located in the southern Khatlon province and Tursunzoda district (central Tajikistan). Only two BPCs having international status function – “Dousti” in the Tursunzoda and “Fotehobod” in the Mastchoh district (Sughd province). Uzbekistan reportedly sealed the rest of the border crossing points unilaterally.
The Tajik-Uzbek border delimitation talks have been stalled since February 2009 after Tajikistan rejected Uzbekistan’s proposal to give up some disputed lands to the Tajik side on condition that Tashkent will gain full control of “Farhod” water reservoir along the two countries border.
The first after a break of three yeas border talks between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan took place in Dushanbe on February 21-22, 2012.
On April 24, 2015, top border officials of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan met in the Tajik northern city of Khujand. The two sides reportedly discussed issues around protecting common borders in 2014 and ways of improving the processes of doing so in future. Those included prophylactic and explanatory activities among the population living in border zones; preventing illegal border crossing; upholding signed bilateral protocols on state border protection; and rapidly responding to conflicts, which must be resolved at the level of leaders in border zones via negotiations.
At the end of the meeting, the heads of the two delegations signed an agreement on efficient bilateral cooperation between the respective border services in 2015.
