Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have agreed to construct a new road connecting Tajik Khoja Alo village and Vorukh jamoat, Tajikistan’s exclave in Kyrgyz territory.
A joint statement, released by the government delegations of the two countries on delimitation and demarcation of the mutual border Wednesday (May 5), says the status of this road will be determined by a separate agreement.
The sides will jointly construct the road that will bypass the Kyrgyz village of Ak-Sai and run along the eastern side of the settlement of Tangi (Tajik name of the Kyrgyz village of Kapchygai), and the Tajik side will use and maintain this road.
The statement says the decision to build a new road has been made to ensure unimpeded movement of citizens, vehicles and cargo until the completion of the process of delimitation, demarcation and legal registration of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border.
The sides reportedly agreed to proceed to the preliminary demarcation of the mutual border after completion of construction of the new road connecting Khoja Alo and Vorukh.
Recall, an agreement on demarcating another 112 kilometers of the border is expected to be ready by May 9.
A dispute over irrigation water triggered a clash between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan occurred on April 28-29. The countries have agreed a complete ceasefire after the worst violence in decades along the Tajik-Kyrgyz border that killed 55 people and wounded more than 300 other people.
The negotiations began in the evening of May 1 and lasted until 3 a.m. of May 2. The chiefs of the security agencies of Tajikistan (Saymumin Yatimov) and Kyrgyzstan (Kamchybek Tashiyev) heading the country’s delegations reportedly signed the protocol on ceasefire and withdrawal of troops.
The clashes broke out along the border between Tajikistan's Sughd province and Kyrgyzstan's southern Batken region on April 28 because of a dispute over a water distribution facility, which both countries claim as their own.
Villagers from opposing sides hurled rocks at each other and border guards joined the fray with assault rifles, machine guns and mortars on April 29.
The European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and Russia have all urged both sides to respect the cease-fire agreement.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged an immediate investigation to hold either side responsible for laws-of-war violations against civilians.
The border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan has been the scene of unrest repeatedly since the collapse of the former Soviet Union.
Border talks between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan began in 2002. The countries share 976 kilometers of border – of which only 504 kilometers has reportedly been properly delineated, leading to tensions for the past 30 years.
