Rahmon met with activists of Isfara

On April 17, the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, held a meeting with leaders, activists, and representatives of the education sector in the city of Isfara, urging everyone to be tolerant and not to succumb to emotions.

Photo: Internet

Emomali Rahmon emphasized that for the residents of Isfara, the delimitation and demarcation of the state border between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the key issues, although the process is lengthy and difficult.

“However, I emphasize that resolving border-territorial issues, agreeing on the state border, and its demarcation is a very complex process that requires a lot of time and effort from specialists,” Rahmon stated.

Rahmon noted that the Tajik side has been negotiating with the Kyrgyz Republic since 2002 within the framework of the intergovernmental commission on the delimitation and demarcation of the border between the two countries. To date, more than 170 meetings and negotiations have been held between the delegations of the intergovernmental commission and working groups. As a result of the 20 years of work of the commission, 663.7 km out of the 987-kilometer border between the two states have been identified and agreed upon, which is 68.4% of the border line.

Rahmon urged the residents of Isfara to “live and work with their neighbors in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and good neighborliness, communicate with them, and establish friendly cooperation, to be tolerant and not to succumb to emotions.”

He emphasized that border issues between states can only be resolved through negotiations, and there is no other way.

On April 12, at the border between the villages of Khistevarz in the Bobojon Gafurov district of the Sughd region and Borborduk in the Leilek district of the Batken region, a Tajik border guard, 27-year-old Sergeant Zoir Saidumarov, was injured. Later, the media reported that Zoir Saidumarov died from his injuries.

During his meeting in Isfara, Rahmon did not express condolences to the families of the deceased Tajik border guards and civilians. Because of this, he is often criticized by the Tajik public, especially opposition forces.