Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have signed a protocol on the delimitation of a shared border section. The agreement was signed in Bishkek by the head of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security (SCNS) and Deputy Prime Minister Kamchybek Tashiev and the head of Tajikistan’s SCNS, Saimumin Yatimov, according to the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers’ press service.
"The protocol on border delimitation between the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan has been signed, with Tashiev representing Kyrgyzstan and Yatimov representing Tajikistan," the press service stated.
In January 2025, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov explained in an interview with the state news agency "Kabar" that after signing the delimitation document, the foreign ministers of both nations must also sign it before it proceeds to parliamentary ratification.
"Next, the document will be signed by the presidents, followed by an exchange of diplomatic notes. The demarcation process will take another one or two years, and only after that will the process be fully completed. The most important thing is that we have reached a bilateral agreement," Zhaparov emphasized.
He also noted that both sides’ positions were carefully considered in resolving the border disputes. "We accounted for every meter of land. In some border villages, houses are arranged in a checkerboard pattern. The Tajik authorities will relocate their citizens whose homes are on our side, and we will do the same for Kyrgyz citizens whose homes ended up on their side," he added.
Background on the Kyrgyz-Tajik Border Dispute
The Kyrgyz-Tajik border stretches approximately 980 km. Negotiations on its delimitation—defining the official boundary, describing its course, and mapping it—have been ongoing since December 2002. The unresolved border issue has repeatedly led to violent clashes involving both local residents and military personnel, sometimes involving firearms. The most recent major conflict occurred in early autumn 2022. Since 2014, more than ten significant border incidents have taken place.
Kyrgyzstan shares borders with China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Until now, Tajikistan remained the last neighboring country with which Kyrgyzstan had unresolved border issues.
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Based on TASS materials