Bishkek cannot understand Tashkent's stance on disputed mount, detention of Kyrgyz citizens - deputy prime minister
BISHKEK/OSH. Aug 26 (Interfax) - The Kyrgyz administration is monitoring negotiations on the release of four Kyrgyz citizens, who were detained by Uzbek police on Mount Ungar-Too in the Jalal-Abad region several days ago, Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister for Border Issues Jenish Razakov said.
"The detention of four Kyrgyz citizens and border issues in general are under control of the republican administration," Razakov said in a statement seen by Interfax on Friday.
"Authorized Kyrgyz governmental agencies are holding negotiations with Uzbekistan [on the release of the four detainees], and permanent contact is being maintained with the detainees' families," he said.
"Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has given instructions to the Foreign Ministry and heads of security agencies. Kyrgyzstan's standpoint on Ungar-Too is well-known: this is a non-delimitated sector. So, we cannot understand the position of our neighbor, Uzbekistan," Razakov said.
In turn, a representative of the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry confirmed to Interfax on Friday that Kyrgyz Ambassador in Tashkent Daniyar Sydykov met with Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister Saidikram Niyazkhodjaev the day before at Kyrgyzstan's request.
"Ambassador Sydykov again called for the release of four citizens of Kyrgyzstan at the meeting; the foreign ministries continue consultations to this effect," he said.
The meeting was earlier reported by Uzbekistan, which did not disclose its subject.
Four citizens of Kyrgyzstan, employees of the Kerben-24 radio relay station situated on Mount Ungar-Too, were detained by Uzbek police officers who came to the mount by helicopter on August 22.
Uzbekistan said the Kyrgyz citizens are detained on the counts of illegal presence in territory of Uzbekistan, which deems Ungar-Too to be its territory. They were taken to the Yangikurgan district police station.
A source from the Kyrgyz law enforcement authorities told Interfax that the Uzbek policemen were still staying on top of the mount.
The territorial status of Mount Ungar-Too has been the subject of disputes between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan for years. Reports claiming intentions of Kyrgyzstan to hand over the disputed mountain to Uzbekistan were published in March, when tensions between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan escalated over Uzbekistan's actions in the Chalasart area. The Kyrgyz government refuted these reports.
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have not yet resolved the issue of several other border sectors, as well as several facilities in Kyrgyz territory that have been operated by Uzbekistan since Soviet times. At the beginning of the year, the republic's government passed a resolution to put them into Kyrgyzstan's books. Such facilities include the Orto-Tokoi water reservoir, situated in the Jalal-Abad region.
