Skip to main content

Eurasianet

Main Menu

  • Regions
  • Topics
  • Media
  • About
  • Search
  • Newsletter
  • русский
  • Support us
X

Caucasus

Armenia
Azerbaijan
Georgia

Central Asia

Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan

Conflict Zones

Abkhazia
Nagorno Karabakh
South Ossetia

Eastern Europe

Belarus
Moldova
Russia
The Baltics
Ukraine

Eurasian Fringe

Afghanistan
China
EU
Iran
Mongolia
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
X

Environment

Economy

Politics

Kazakhstan's Bloody January 2022
Kyrgyzstan 2020 unrest

Security

Society

American diplomats in Central Asia
Arts and Culture
Coronavirus
Student spotlight
X

Visual Stories

Podcast
Video

Blogs

Tamada Tales
The Bug Pit

Podcasts

EurasiaChat
Expert Opinions
The Central Asianist
X
You can search using keywords to narrow down the list.
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Central Asia

Cautious hopes mounting for Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan border deal

At present, around one-third of the border remains undefined.

Oct 13, 2023
Rahmon and Japarov meeting in Bishkek. (Photo: Kyrgyz presidential administration) Rahmon and Japarov meeting in Bishkek. (Photo: Kyrgyz presidential administration)

The presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan met on October 13 for talks on the demarcation and delimitation of their shared border amid indications that some differences have been resolved.

The offices of the leaders issued similarly worded statements on the encounter in Bishkek, noting in both cases that unspecified agreements are in the works.

A breakthrough in the border delimitation would be eagerly welcome by communities in the areas of north Tajikistan and south Kyrgyzstan, where flareups of fighting over recent years have left many dozens dead and caused significant destruction. 

A press release on the October 13 talks from Tajik President Emomali Rahmon’s office asserted that “special attention was paid to the issues of determining the state border line" and that “agreements were reached on this matter some time ago.” A readout from Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov’s office, meanwhile, was more circumspect, noting only that the leaders discussed “delimitation and demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Tajik state border.”

The Kyrgyz-Tajik border stretches for approximately 980 kilometers. Fraught negotiations on establishing the exact contours of that line have been ongoing since December 2002. At present, around one-third of the border remains undefined. 

There may latterly have been some breakthrough, however.

Kyrgyz government sources have said that the border issue was discussed on October 2 by the heads of the powerful security services of both countries during a meeting in the Kyrgyz city of Batken.

Kamchybek Tashiyev, the head of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security, or GKNB, said in a joint press conference with his Tajik counterpart, Saimumin Yatimov, that their meeting had produced a “protocol” that would provide the basis for resolving all border issues.

“God willing, we will soon adopt final decision so as to complete the demarcation of the entire state border,” Tashiyev said.

No details were provided, but at least one journalist said to be close to Tashiyev has characterized the talks as having produced “historic” results. 

“The Tajik side has been trying to resolve this problem in its favor by breaking us through various means, including by use of force,” the journalist, Nurgazy Anarkulov, wrote on his Facebook page. “Following the commission on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border headed by Kamchybek Tashiyev, the ice began to shift. Sometimes we [Kyrgyzstan] had to speak in soft and diplomatic language, most of the time in [the language of] sharp ultimatums. When patience ran out, we were forced to make demands by relying on historical documents.”

Anarkulov offered no details on what the protocol contains, but he claimed that Tajikistan had relinquished territorial claims dating back three decades.

Neither Kyrgyz nor Tajik officials have responded to these specific claims. 

The reference to unnamed historical documents was a callback to contentious remarks made by Tashiyev in mid-September. Speaking to reporters, Tashiyev demanded in notably aggressive terms that Tajikistan relinquish its territorial claims to sections of the contested border. He was speaking on the eve of the first anniversary of a border conflict that claimed dozens of lives.

“Until now, we have tried to resolve this issue peacefully, and we will continue to do so. Our head of state has directed us to resolve issues through negotiations. But at the same time, it must be said that an act of aggression was committed against our state last year. We will not allow such aggression in future,” Tashiyev said. He added that Kyrgyzstan's demands were supported by historic documents.

His remarks sparked a tetchy response from Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry, which summoned the Kyrgyz ambassador in Dushanbe for an explanation. 

“It [is] stressed that such comments could cause serious damage to any progress in the negotiation process on the delimitation and demarcation of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border,” the ministry said in a statement on September 16. 

While tempers have flared lower in the two countries’ respective hierarchies, Japarov and Rahmon have sought to strike conciliatory notes on the multiple times they have met in recent weeks. 

Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all, and influenced by none.

Related

Tajik-Taliban relations slowly warm, but both sides hedge their bets
Restrictions, discrimination do not significantly stem Tajik migration flow to Russia
Eurasia is a significant source of methane emissions – report

Popular

Tajik-Taliban relations slowly warm, but both sides hedge their bets
Alexander Thompson
Armenia: Pashinyan goes into “attack mode” against political rivals
Restrictions, discrimination do not significantly stem Tajik migration flow to Russia

Eurasianet

  • About
  • Team
  • Contribute
  • Republishing
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact
Eurasianet © 2025