The Main Border Guard Directorate of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan has made a statement regarding the latest incident that took place along the Tajik-Kyrgyz border in the morning of July 24.
“In accordance with the previous agreement reached by heads of village communities of Chorkuh, which is subordinate to the Tajik city of Isfara, and Ak-Sai of Kyrgyzstan’s Batken region, residents of Isfara began cleaning the Qum-Mazor area of the jamoat named after I. Faizulloyev in the morning of July 24. At 9:30 am, about 20 residents of the Kyrgyz village of Kok-Tash came to the Qum-Mazor area and started a verbal skirmish and then began throwing stones at them,” the Main Border Guard Directorate said in its statement released in the evening of July 24.
To resolve the incident, border guards from both sides reportedly arrived at the scene.
“Contrary to Clause 4 in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the State Committees for National Security of the two countries (Tashkent, November 7, 2019) and without any reason, Kyrgyz border guards used firearms against citizens and border guards of Tajikistan. The Tajik border guards opened fire in response,” the statement says.
The Tajik Border Guard Directorate statement also notes that a statement by Kyrgyzstan’s border service that the Qum-Mazor area is located in Kyrgyz territory has no legal basis.
“Because in accordance with documents of national-territorial division of 1924-1927 and materials of the parity commission of 1989, this area (topographic coordinates 390 57I 00II, 700 33I 00II) belongs to Tajikistan,” says the statement by the Tajik Border Guard Directorate. “Jumping to conclusions and ignoring legal norms adopted in accordance with the established requirements of international relations on the issue of territorial distinction as well as hasty and unilateral coverage of border issues by media do not serve the interests, mutual understanding and building of mutual trust.”
The Tajik Border Guard Directorate also notes that Kyrgyzstan’s border service has disseminated information not coordinated with the Tajik side in violation of Paragraph 7 of the Protocol of the session of the Intergovernmental Commission for Delimitation and Demarcation of the Disputable Stretches of the Mutual Border of June 5, 2021 (Qaramyq).
Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan’s 24.kg news agency, citing the Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan, said on July 24 that the citizens of Tajikistan, without the consent of the Kyrgyz side, began to carry out measures to clean sand at a site in Kum-Mazar area of Batken district.
Border guards of Kyrgyzstan, representatives of local authorities and residents arrived at the scene. The Tajik side reportedly did not obey the demands of the Kyrgyz side to stop the work. Moreover, the Tajiks tried to beat up a citizen of Kyrgyzstan. Further, the verbal skirmish escalated into a fight and throwing stones at each other.
During the conflict, the border guards of the neighboring country fired shots towards the Kyrgyz Republic. In response, the border guards of the Border Service fired shots towards Tajikistan.
No wounded or injured from the Kyrgyz side were reported, according to 24.kg.
