DUSHANBE, April 13, 2013, Asia-Plus – The 28th session of the Joint Control Group (JCG) took place in Dushanbe from April 8 to April 10, according to the Tajik MFA information department.

During a three-day session, delegations of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and China held two plenary sessions, two meetings of diplomatic experts and two meetings of military experts.

The sides reportedly exchanged views on issues related to implementation of the Agreement on Confidence-Building in the Military Field along the Border Areas and the Agreement on the Mutual Reduction of Armed Forces in the Border Areas.

We will recall that China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed the Agreement on Confidence-Building in the Military Field along the Border Areas in April 1996.

In April 1997, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed the Agreement on the Mutual Reduction of Armed Forces in the Border Areas with China.  This agreement includes clauses on mutual reduction of combat troops and weaponry within delineated limits along their borderlines with China, on the organization of annual mutual inspections, and on supervision and verification of the implementation of mutual trust measures in border areas.

The JCG is a working body for control over implementation of these agreements.