Chaired by Tajik and Kyrgyz security services officers Saimumin Yatimov and Kamchybek Tashiyev, the next meeting of the government delegations of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on delimitation and demarcation of Tajikistan’s common border with Kyrgyzstan took place in the Kyrgyz city of Batken on October 2.
The Tajik Foreign Ministry notes that the parties exchanged views on the issue of delimitation of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border
The heads of the delegations, expressing full mutual understanding of the need to intensify further description of the passage of the project line of the Tajik-Kyrgyz state border in the remaining sections, gave appropriate instructions to the working groups.
The ministry notes that topographic working groups and working groups on legal issues of the government delegations of the two countries on the delimitation and demarcation of the Tajik-Kyrgyz state border will continue to work on describing the project line of the Tajik-Kyrgyz state border in the remaining sections.
In the course of the talks, the parties particularly noted the need to strengthen friendship, mutual understanding and trust between the border regions and districts of the two nations, sys a statement released by the Tajik MFA.
The meeting that was held in the atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding reportedly ended with signing of a protocol.
Recall, provocative irredentist statements about Tajikistan by Tashiyev on the first anniversary of deadly border clashes between the two countries has caused alarm in Dushanbe and soured relations.
When asked by journalists on September 15 about the ongoing Kyrgyz-Tajik border talks aimed at ending decades of dispute over their common border, Tashiyev said Kyrgyz officials had uncovered “historical” documents that suggest parts of Tajikistan used to be Kyrgyz territory.
"If the neighboring country does not withdraw its territorial demands, we will push our findings forward,” Tashiyev said. He added, without providing any details, that they have the capacity and the opportunities to do so.
Following Tashiyev's statement, the Tajik Foreign Ministry summoned Kyrgyz Ambassador to Tajikistan Yerlan Abdyldayev for talks and also warned of their concerns over Tashiyev’s controversial comments.
Meanwhile, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and his Tajik counterpart Sadyr Japarov on September 19 met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
It was their second one-on-one talks in the space of a week, following the meeting held in Dushanbe on September 14 during a Central Asian presidential consultative meeting, and a statement issued by Kyrgyz president’s office said the issues of delimitation and demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border were object of special attention. Press release from Tajik president’s official website omitted this detail.
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have not yet resolved the border delineation problem. Many border areas in Central Asia have been disputed since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The situation is particularly complicated near the numerous exclaves in the Fergana Valley, where the borders of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan meet.
The border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan 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 972 kilometers of border – of which only 664 kilometers have been properly delineated, leading to tensions for the past 30 years.
To-date, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have reportedly held more than 170 meetings and negotiations on delimitation and demarcation of the common border.
