DUSHANBE, January 29, 2014, Asia-Plus -- Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will try once again to lift tensions in their bilateral relations.

An official source at the Sughd regional administration says the next round of negotiations is expected to be conducted today in Batken (Kyrgyzstan) or Isfara (Tajikistan).

According to him, the Tajik delegation members include Sherali Khairulloyev, Aide to the President for National Security, Mahmadtohir Zokirov, Head of the State Committee for Land Management and Geodesy, Rajabali Rahmonali Commander of Tajik Border Troops, and several other high-ranking officials.

“All of them are already in Isfara,” the source added.

We will recall that Five Kyrgyz border guards, one Kyrgyz policeman, and two Tajik border guards were hospitalized with injuries on January 11 after tensions escalated into exchanges of gunfire along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.  The clash started when Tajiks protested Kyrgyzstan’s construction of a bypass road through a disputed area.  Tajikistan has requested to halt the construction of the road until the border is delimited.