“Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have reached an agreement on additional delimitation and demarcation of the mutual border,” a reliable source aware of the progress of work of the Tajik-Kyrgyz commission for delimitation and demarcation of the shared border told Asia-Plus in an interview.
According to him, the topographical working groups on delimitation and demarcation of the mutual border of the government delegations of the two countries met in the Tajik northern city of Buston, Sughd province from October 12 to October 18.
The topographical working groups reportedly defined another 13.98 kilometers of along the disputed stretch of the mutual border.
“The remaining disputed stretches of the border will be defined at the next meeting that will take place in Kyrgyzstan,” the source added.
Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan’s turmush.kg says Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have agreed stop any construction work along the border line.
The parties also agreed to avoid provocative actions when discussing issues related to water and economic affairs.
The negotiations reportedly took place on the border of the village of Orto-Boz in Kyrgyzstan’s Batken district.
Recall, the previous meeting of the topographical groups that took place in the Kyrgyz city of Batken on October 3-7 resulted in definition of 43.32 kilometers along the disputed stretch of Tajikistan’s common border with Kyrgyzstan.
The two Central Asian nations have been meeting for months in an effort to resolve border disputes that have led to deadly clashes between them in recent years.
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.
