As reported by Asia-Plus, on July 26, the governor of the Sughd region in Tajikistan, Rajabboy Ahmadzade, announced that the state border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, which has been closed for three years, is expected to open soon.
The commission for delineating the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan has been in progress since 2022 but as stated by Ahmadzade, “To date, 94% of the border line has been fully delineated. We believe that everything will be resolved positively shortly.”
The minister advised that on July 21-24, representatives of the Ministry of Transport of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan visited the disputed areas and Tajik towns of Chorkukh and Vorukh. He did not disclose the location of the remaining 6% of disputed territories, but added that the commission would meet again from August 11 – 17 in Botken, Kyrgyzstan.
The armed border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan was closed after clashes on 14-17 September 2021. A year later, officials and representatives of both countries’ border commission met in Sughd to discuss means of resolving the issue.
The conflict was caused by uncertainties regarding the exact demarcation of the border between the two republics which spans some 980 kilometers. With its scant natural resources and dwindling water supplies, the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has been the scene of numerous skirmishes for many years. In 2014, all borders between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were closed indefinitely to Kyrgyz and Tajik citizens following clashes over a bypass road in disputed territory; mortars were fired and both armies suffered casualties. Trouble spilled over again throughout 2021 and 2022, reportedly starting over a water dispute in the Vorukh enclave, and leaving an unknown number in the hundreds killed, and up to 136,000 people evacuated. In September 2022, another shooting took place on the border between the two countries.
