Uzbekistan explains armored vehicles' stationing on border with Kyrgyzstan by upcoming Navruz
TASHKENT. March 18 (Interfax) - The border troops of the Uzbek National Security Service have taken tighter security measures on the border, including with Kyrgyzstan, due to the run-up to the celebrations of Navruz, a New Year holiday on the solar calendar for Iranian and Turkic peoples, which coincides in time with the vernal equinox, the press service of the National Security Service's State Border Guard Committee told Interfax on Friday.
"Extra armored vehicles were involved in the protection. Meanwhile, all mentioned military hardware is stationed in Uzbekistan, and the state border sections are being guarded under the bilateral agreements without inspections to the undocumented sections," he said.
The international Madaniyat motor crossing between the two countries was unilaterally suspended on March 18, due to repair and restoration work; the Kyrgyz side was timely notified about this according to the stipulated procedure through the border executive personnel, the representative of the press service said.
He also said that the Uzbek National Security Service's State Border Guard Committee urged Kyrgyz colleagues to refrain from distributing the information, which does not correspond to reality, to prevent the relations between the border agencies of the countries from deteriorating.
Currently, the situation on the state border is calm, no incidents have been recorded, he said.
As was reported on Friday morning, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have closed several checkpoints on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek state border section in the Jalal-Abad region. Meanwhile, the presence of Uzbek military hardware and servicemen was recorded on a state border section. This state border section is situated in the Jalal-Abad region in southern Kyrgyzstan, and is attributed to undocumented border sections.
Kyrgyz President and Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev and Temir Sariyev demanded the guarding on the border with Uzbekistan be tightened and the security of residents in the border areas be ensured.
The Uzbek ambassador was summoned to the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry, where a protest note was handed out to him "due to the blocking of the Kerben-Ala-Buka highway section by Uzbek servicemen and the placement of two checkpoints there."
