Bishkek, Dushanbe reps discuss situation at border - Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry
BISHKEK. Jan 31 (Interfax) - Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will improve the work of the committee for delimitation and demarcation of the state border between the two countries, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry press office told Interfax on Friday.
"The meeting of Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Tokon Mamytov and Tajik Deputy Prime Minister Murodali Alimardon took place in Bishkek on January 30-31," the press office said.
The parties have discussed the situation at the joint border following the armed incident, which occurred between servicemen of the two countries on January 11, 2014 and in which about ten border guards of both countries were injured, the press office said.
"The parties have reached an agreement regarding the situation at the border," the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said.
"The parties have also agreed to withdraw additional armed forces sent by the parties to the border following the incident," the press office said.
According to the information of the press office, the two deputy prime ministers have also agreed to hold another meeting in mid-February at the border area.
A relevant document has been signed following the meeting between the two high-level officials.
Mamytov has refused to comment to the talks held, having told Interfax that providing information was the prerogative of the Foreign Ministry.
As of now, all checkpoints at the 970 km border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are closed for crossing for people and cargo both ways. The air traffic between the capitals of the two countries continues.
The leadership of the Tajik Customs Service said last week that several dozen trucks not allowed to cross the border got stuck at the Tajik-Kyrgyz border.
Dushanbe considers the reason why the shootout occurred to be the wish of Kyrgyzstan to build the Koktash-Aksay-Tamdyk highway bypassing the Tajik enclave in Kyrgyzstan. Official Bishkek considers this area its own. Many sections of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border are not delimited, which causes conflicts between the two countries' border guards and residents of border areas, who argue with each other over the ownership of the pastures, fields and water sources.
