Experts fear complications at Kyrgyz-Tajik border once field works start
BISHKEK/OSH. March 18 (Interfax) - Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev and Deputy Prime Minister on security Tokon Mamytov have discussed measures to enhance border security, the presidential press office told Interfax on Tuesday.
Issues related to guarding the state border and the efficient resolution of issues emerging in the country's border regions have been discussed as well, the press office said.
Mamytov has reported to Atambaev on progress made in delimitation and demarcation of the Kyrgyz state border, the press office said.
Meanwhile, a tense situation remains in a number of regions bordering Tajikistan. The most difficult situation is in the village of Aksay bordering the Tajik enclave of Vorukh, where a shooting between Kyrgyz and Tajik border guards occurred on January 11, Kyrgyz Deputy Interior Minister Kursan Asanov told Interfax on Tuesday.
Five incidents between residents of the two border villages occurred in the past week alone, Asanov said. The latest incident was a fight between Kyrgyz and Tajik school children, he said.
The conflict has been resolved after interference by local authorities and following this it was decided to introduce additional patrol routes by police and border guards of the two countries, Asanov said.
At the same time, experts fear that new complications will occur at the Kyrgyz-Tajik border once field works begin. The issues on delimitation and demarcation remain unresolved and the settlement peculiarity of some regions, where houses of Kyrgyz and Tajik citizens are scattered, could be a source of conflict again, experts said. Due to this, the authorities should discuss the possibility of swapping territories in the border region, they said.
