DUSHANBE, February 16, 2014, Asia-Plus -- Co-chaired by Tajik Deputy Prime Minister Murodali Alimardon and Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Tokon Mamytov, the Tajik-Kyrgyz intergovernmental commission for demarcation and delimitation of disputed segments of mutual border met in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on February 13.

Senior consultant to Tajik president’s press center, Subhiddin Muhiddinov, accompanied Tajik delegation on its visit to Bishkek and according to him the sides discussed issues related to implementation of agreements reached during a January 31 meeting in Bishkek.

“They also discussed use of border roads and the border crossing points (BCPs) problems,” Muhiddinov said, noting that the Tajik sides submitted its specific findings for consideration to the Kyrgyz delegation.

“For its part, the Kyrgyz side noted that it will submit positions regarding the discussed issues for consideration to Tajikistan through diplomatic channels in the near future,” he said.

According to Muhiddinov, the sides have agreed to hold the next border talks in Dushanbe in early March.

We will recall that Murodali Alimardon and Tokon Mamytov agreed in Bishkek on January 31 that the two countries'' working groups on border delimitation must expedite their activities.

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.