Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed a border agreement

The Presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, and Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, signed an Agreement on the State Border between the two countries. Checkpoints were also opened, and air flights were resumed.

The ceremony took place on March 13 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, called the signing of the agreement a historic event and noted that the results of the negotiations would elevate the cooperation between the two countries to a new level.

The President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, also stated that the situation has changed and emphasized that from now on and forever, the Tajik-Kyrgyz state border will remain a border of eternal friendship between the two fraternal countries and peoples.

Japarov also noted that the development of good-neighborly relations with Tajikistan is one of the priorities of Kyrgyzstan’s foreign policy and emphasized that both countries share similar positions on important regional and international issues.

It is worth recalling that on February 21 in Bishkek, the heads of the State Committees for National Security of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan – Saymumin Yatimov and Kamchybek Tashiev – signed a final agreement on the delimitation and demarcation of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border.

On February 27, Tashiev reported to the Kyrgyz parliament, and the deputies approved the agreement. However, it is still unknown whether Yatimov addressed the Tajik parliamentarians, and it has not been reported whether this agreement was discussed in the Majlisi Namoyandagon (parliament) of Tajikistan.

Critics note that the Tajik authorities made significant concessions on the border issue. In particular, during the presentation of the agreement in the Kyrgyz parliament, Kamchybek Tashiev stated that the parties conducted the demarcation of the border based on the 1991 map, rather than on the materials from 1924-1927, which had previously been referenced by Tajikistan’s representatives.

The total length of the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is 1006.84 km. The process of demarcation and delimitation began in 2002, but by 2011, only 519.9 km had been determined. After concessions from Tajikistan over the past three years, an additional 486.94 km has been demarcated.

The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, arrived in Kyrgyzstan for a two-day working visit, where he was warmly welcomed.

It is reported that in addition to signing the agreement on the state border, the parties concluded 16 additional agreements in the areas of water resources, energy, construction, and road operation. An agreement was also reached to increase trade turnover between the countries to 500 million dollars.

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan announced their full readiness to resume the operation of the border checkpoints “Guliston – Kyzylbel” and “Madaniyat – Kairagach,” with the presence of leaders and deputies from the border regions of both countries. The President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, issued an order to commence the operation of the checkpoints, after which the barriers were raised on the Kyrgyz side. Subsequently, the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, ordered the resumption of operations at the checkpoints on Tajik territory, and the barriers were raised.

The Tajik side also announced that air travel between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will resume on March 14, 2025.