Kyrgyzstan is building barriers on the border with Tajikistan

The Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan has begun to establish barriers at the border with Tajikistan.

On April 29, the press service of the authorized representative of the President of Kyrgyzstan in the Batken region reported that work has begun on the installation of barriers at the Tajik-Kyrgyz state border in the Batken region of Kyrgyzstan, in the area of Koshmolo of the Tort-Gul ayil district.

Barriers are also being installed at the border with Uzbekistan.

“This is an important step for both countries,” said Abdikarim Alimbaev, the First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for National Security and Director of the State Border Service.

According to him, the first phase involves the installation of a barbed wire barrier along a stretch of 420 kilometers. The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

To facilitate the work in the border zone, a field camp has been set up, and special equipment has been brought in. All necessary conditions for the accommodation and service of military personnel have been created, the statement said.

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 defined. After concessions from Tajikistan over the past three years, an additional 486.94 km has been demarcated.

Previously, armed clashes and killings of citizens from both sides occurred at the borders between the two countries.
The last major conflict at the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan occurred on September 16, 2022. According to authorities, more than 250 citizens of Tajikistan were killed or injured.

In some disputed areas along the common border between the two countries, armed clashes and killings of citizens from both sides have occurred in recent years.
The last major conflict at the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan occurred on September 16, 2022. According to authorities, more than 250 citizens of Tajikistan were killed or injured.

After many years of conflict, on December 4, 2024, a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on delimitation and demarcation of the state border took place in the city of Batken, Kyrgyzstan. After the meeting, the heads of the State Committees for National Security of the two countries — Saymumin Yatimov and Kamchybek Tashiev — stated in the media that the border issue between the countries has been fully resolved.

Finally, in March of this year, the presidents of the two countries — Emomali Rahmon and Sadyr Japarov — signed a bilateral agreement and granted it official status.

The two countries conducted negotiations based on the 1991 treaty, which analysts believe was unfavorable for Tajikistan. Analysts argue that Tajikistan should have concluded an agreement based on the maps from 1924 to 1927.