A newly published map of Uzbekistan, designated for official use only, suggests that authorities in Tashkent are seeking a unilateral solution to a territorial dispute with neighboring Kyrgyzstan. According to one Kyrgyz official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Uzbek map of the territory in and around the Sokh enclave differs significantly from Soviet-era maps. In the new Uzbek view, the Sokh region is no longer an enclave within Kyrgyz territory, but it is joined by a by a land corridor to Uzbekistan proper. The map would suggest that Uzbekistan is laying claim to more than 10, 000 hectares of land.

Uzbekistan reportedly has exerted considerable pressure on Kyrgyzstan to agree to cede a Sokh land corridor. Throughout the winter, Kyrgyzstan has suffered a severe energy crisis, which is connected with a stoppage of Uzbek gas supplies. The official reason for the stoppage is an accident on the Uzbek pipeline. However, some Kyrgyz officials privately suggest that the gas delivery issue has been linked to the territorial question. [For additional information see Eurasia Insight archives.]

During the latest round of border negotiations February 13-14, Uzbek officials relentlessly pressed for a Kyrgyz concession, according to a participant in the discussions. Rustam Yunusov, Uzbekistan's vice premier and head of the delegation, "repeated five times that if we sign an agreement thus turning over to Uzbekistan part of Batken region [Sokh], then all problems of Kyrgyzstan will be solved quickly and gas delivery resumed," said Alisher Abdimomunov, a Kyrgyz MP who took part in the negotiations.

Kyrgyz officials steadfastly refuse to agree to a territorial adjustment, and negotiations have broken down. Both sides have produced their own maps, each offering a drastically different interpretation of the border.

The Sokh region has been a point of dispute since the formation of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the 1920s, when both were republics of the former Soviet Union. Throughout the 1920s, Kyrgyz and Uzbek leaders bickered over possession of the territory. The wrangling stopped only after Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin imposed a ban on any discussion of territorial claims. Both Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan resumed their arguments over Sokh during the 1950s after Stalin's death. Ultimately, the territory was divided, with the Uzbek portion designated an enclave within Kyrgyzstan.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Sokh question reemerged. While both newly independent states agreed in principle to respect the old Soviet administrative borders, they have differed in their interpretation of where those borders actually lay. Whereas Kyrgyzstan asserts the border should follow the outline agreed upon in the 1950s, Uzbekistan insists that the border should follow the original lines drawn in the 1920s.

Kyrgyz experts and officials expect Uzbekistan to continue to press for a revision of the borders. However, Uran Botobekov, the director of the Bishkek center on humanitarian and conflict studies, points out that the Uzbek negotiating position contains a contradiction that could cause problems down the road for Tashkent. Specifically, Botobekov said that between 1930 and 1960, Uzbekistan, with Moscow's support, gained control of large parts of Kazakhstan, including the Karakalpak autonomous republic. If Uzbekistan continues to insist upon the recognition of the 1920s borders, it would leave Tashkent vulnerable to territorial claims by Kazakhstan, Botobekov added.