DUSHANBE, December 6, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- Uzbek authorities opened checkpoints on its common border with Tajikistan on December 4, according to the Uzbek Embassy in Dushanbe. 

The source at the Uzbek Embassy said that all crossings currently work in a customary regime and Tajik nationals living in areas bordering on Uzbekistan may stay in Uzbekistan for five days without visa.  

Commenting on the reason for closing checkpoints on the Tajik border, the source said they had been closed “for technical reasons.”

As it had been reported earlier, Uzbek authorities closed all border checkpoints with Tajikistan on November 27 without any explanation and Tajik government was not informed by Uzbek authorities about the closure.

Uzbekistan introduced a visa regime with Tajikistan in 2001 that made travel between the two countries more difficult.  There has not been aerial communication between the two countries since 1992.