DUSHANBE, April 11, 2014, Asia-Plus – Kyrgyz and Tajik prime minister will conduct negotiations on border issues in late April, Kyrgyz Vice-Premier Abdyrakhman Mamataliyev was quoted by Kyrgyz news agency 24.KG as saying at a meeting of the parliamentary group of Ata-Zhurt party on April 11.

According to him, the next working meeting of interagency commissions will take place in the Tajik northern city of Khujand on April 15.

Meanwhile, Kyrgyz news agency K-News cited Mamataliyev as saying that the meeting of prime ministers of the two countries will be held on April 19.

“We are seeking mutually acceptable solution to the problems of disputable areas.  The most complicated issue is construction the Kok-Tash-Aksai-Tamdyk road,” Kyrgyz deputy prime minister was quoted as saying.

Tajik Prime Minister Rasoul Qohirzoda had a telephone conversation with his Kyrgyz counterpart Joomart Otorbayev on April 10.

The two reportedly discussed a broad range of issues related to state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.  They also discussed border cooperation issues and Kyrgyz prime minister proposed to hold bilateral meeting at any time convenient for Tajik prime minister.  

We will recall that after a diplomatic dispute over border violence, border crossing points (BCPs) along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border opened in early April for the first time since mid-January.

The Kyrgyz-Tajik border had been closed since an exchange of gunfire on January 11 injured five Kyrgyz border guards, one Kyrgyz policeman, and two Tajik border guards.  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.

Kyrgyzstan recalled its ambassador to Tajikistan and unilaterally closed BCPs on its common border with Tajikistan.