Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan finally solve century-old border dispute

With signing the Agreement on State Border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, eternal peace has been brought to the Central Asian region, said President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov following the signing of the landmark agreement on the state border.

President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon signed the agreement on Thursday and took part in an online ceremony on reopening the Kairagach and Kyzyl-Bel checkpoints.

On March 13, the border issue between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which had remained unresolved for 101 years (since 1924), was finally settled. This is a significant event not only for the two countries but also for the entire Central Asian region, as it can now be considered that all countries in the region have fully resolved their border disputes. From now on, eternal peace has been achieved in Central Asia,” the Kyrgyz leader emphasized.

The state border between the two Central Asian countries had been closed since May 2021 due to an armed conflict. The nearly 980-kilometer Kyrgyz-Tajik border has long been a source of tension. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, numerous disputed sections have remained unresolved. Negotiations on delimitation, which involves defining and mapping the border, began in December 2002.

Last month, both sides reached an agreement to exchange several disputed plots. The final protocol on the delimitation of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border was signed on February 21.

Additionally, the Presidents of the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are expected to meet on March 31 for their first trilateral summit, which will mark a new chapter in cooperation.

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