Russian Foreign Ministry has released a statement on the situation on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border.
Moscow has watched with concern the sharp exacerbation of the situation at the disputed site of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border, M.V. Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian MFA, said in her commentary in connection with the peace agreements between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
“Unfortunately, there are human casualties as a result of armed clashes. There is a substantial number of victims on both sides. At the moment, the situation has stabilized, but tensions still persist. We express our condolences to the relatives and friends of those killed and wish a speedy recovery to those wounded,” the Russian MFA spokeswoman said.
It is noted that Russia welcomes the agreements reached between the parties on the night of April 30 to end the clashes, transfer the tense situation to the stage of negotiations and withdraw forces and military hardware.
“We call on the parties to reach stable and long-term agreements allowing normalizing the situation through further negotiations…and take effective measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. In this regard, we support the decision of Bishkek and Dushanbe to set up a Joint Working Group, whose tasks will include information work with the population as well as patrolling and monitoring the situation in the border area.”
Russia expressed its readiness to contribute in every possible way to the solution of any controversial issues by political and diplomatic methods on the principles of strategic partnership and alliance with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
