Scuffle nearly sparks incident on Kyrgyz-Tajik border
OSH. Jan 29 (Interfax) - A rumble between local residents and citizens of neighboring Tajikistan nearly sparked a border conflict in southern Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday.
The incident occurred in the town of Koi-Tash in the Batken region bordering the Tajik enclave Chorku, the Kyrgyz government's envoy in the Batken region, Saitzhan Eratov, told Interfax on Tuesday.
Tajik youths entered a store in Kyrgyz territory early on January 29 and started a fight which nearly led to a border incident, he said.
Eratov said, "the fight could have deteriorated into a massive brawl if local residents, police and officials had not subdued the aggressive youths, who were goaded by crowds of young people on both sides of the border.
Windows were smashed in the store and nearby houses, and fences were damaged.
"Police on both sides of the border started criminal inquiries," Eratov said.
He said he met with Tajik citizens jointly with the deputy governor of the Sogd region and warned them that attempts to complicate the situation will be rigorously curbed.