Kyrgyzstan set for prompt, mutually beneficial resolution of border issue with Tajikistan - Foreign Ministry

BISHKEK/DUSHANBE. Feb 5 (Interfax) - Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubayev has met with his Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Mukhriddin to discuss delimitation of the joint border and bilateral relations.

"The talks focused on the issue of the border between the two countries. Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubayev emphasized that this is a priority for the country and expressed readiness for a prompt and mutually beneficial solution to this issue, taking into account the interests of both sides," the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry's press service said on Monday.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon also met with Kulubayev.

"In accordance with the agreement reached, a meeting of topographic and working groups on legal issues from the Tajik and Kyrgyz government delegations on delimitation and demarcation of the state border was held from January 30 to February 5 in Batken in Kyrgyzstan's Batken region. The negotiations resulted in the approval of 3.71 kilometers of the Tajik-Kyrgyz state border," Tajikistan's Khovar national news agency reported with reference to the Tajik State National Security Committee.

The parties will now continue their work on defining the remaining border sections in Tajikistan, it said.

The two foreign ministers also discussed the state of and prospects for Kyrgyz-Tajik relations in political, trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian areas, the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry's press service said.

"The Kyrgyz foreign minister said during the talks that the country remains committed to the further consolidation of good-neighborly relations with Tajikistan and cooperation within the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and other international organizations," the statement said.

A program of cooperation between the Kyrgyz and Tajik Foreign Ministries for 2024-2026 was signed following the talks.

The border between the two countries is 972 kilometers long. As of December, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have agreed on more than 90% of the joint border, Kyrgyz State National Security Committee head Kamchybek Tashiyev said.

Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Kulubayev is in Tajikistan on an official visit.