Citing the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, AKIpress reported on January 12 that  co-chairmen of the Kyrgyz-Tajik commission for delimitation and demarcation of the disputed stretches of common border – the head of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security Kamchybek Tashiyev and his Tajik counterpart Saimumin Yatimov -- have  met in the Kyrgyz city of Batken.

The parties reportedly continued to discuss the issue of delimitation of the remaining disputed stretches of the border and gave specific instructions to further intensify negotiations between the working groups of the Tajik and Kyrgyz government delegations on delimitation and demarcation of the mutual border.  

Saimumin Yatimov was cited as saying that they reached agreement in principle on Kulundu, Makcat, and Arka areas.  

Kamchybek Tashiyev was quoted as saying that they had already agreed upon another 15 kilometers and “now our working groups just have to inventory all these areas.”  

Recall, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has announced that an agreement addressing the long-standing border dispute between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is set to be signed in March this year.  The announcement followed discussions between Fidan and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe on January 10.  The Turkish top diplomat’s visit to Kyrgyzstan the day prior reportedly also featured discussions on the impending agreement.  

"As a brotherly country interested in the region, we attach importance to the agreement, which will be a major step in ensuring security and stability in Central Asia," Fidan was cited as saying during a press briefing in Dushanbe without providing further details.

The long-standing border dispute between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan has poisoned relations between the two Central Asian nations since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, leading to frequent clashes along the common border in recent years.

It is to be noted that many border areas in Central Asia have been disputed since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.  The situation is particularly complicated near the numerous exclaves in the Fergana Valley, where the borders of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan meet.

The border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has been the scene of unrest repeatedly since the collapse of the former Soviet Union.  Border talks between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan began in 2002.  The countries share 972 kilometers of border and unresolved border issues have led to tensions for the past 30 years.

To-date, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have reportedly held more than 170 meetings and negotiations on delimitation and demarcation of the common border.  

Co-chairmen of the Tajik-Kyrgyz commission for delimitation and demarcation of the disputed segments of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border – Head of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan (SCNS) Saimumin Yatimov and his Kyrgyz counterpart Kamchybek Tashiyev – said last month that they have agreed upon more than 90% of common border.