Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubayev announced at a news conference reviewing the results of the Ministry's work for the first half of 2024 that the negotiations on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border are nearing completion.

“There are a few remaining points currently being agreed upon,” he stated.

"Representatives from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan continue negotiating on the state border issue.  The heads of state have expressed an understanding and have instructed that everything be finalized as soon as possible.  You understand that the border is a very sensitive issue, so active negotiations are ongoing, and we are reconciling the positions of both sides.  I think we will complete this in the near future, within the next two to three months," the top Kyrgyz diplomat said.

The Kyrgyz foreign minister also mentioned an issue related to transit transportation aimed at facilitating travel for citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Earlier, at the end of July, Rajabboy Ahmadzoda, Governor of Tajikistan’s Sughd Province, reported that 94% of the Kyrgyz-Tajik state border has already been described.

In a report released at a news conference in Khujand, the capital of Sughd province, Sughd Governor Rajabboy Ahmadzoda noted on July 26 that Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have agreed upon of 94 percent of previously contested territory.

“We believe that everything will be resolved positively in the near future everything will be resolved positively and the Tajik-Kyrgyz border will reopen soon,” Ahmadzoda stated.   

Kyrgyz government spokesman Nazirbek Borubayev confirmed on July 30 that 94 percent of the 972-kilometer Kyrgyz-Tajik border had been agreed upon by officials from the two Central Asian nations.

The long-standing border dispute between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan has poisoned relations between the two Central Asian nations since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, leading to frequent clashes along the common border in recent years.

It is to be noted that many border areas in Central Asia have been disputed since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.  The situation is particularly complicated near the numerous exclaves in the Fergana Valley, where the borders of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan meet.

The border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has been the scene of unrest repeatedly since the collapse of the former Soviet Union.  Border talks between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan began in 2002.  The countries share 972 kilometers of border and unresolved border issues have led to tensions for the past 30 years.

Tensions between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have remained high until recently, owing to a border dispute, as well as other issues involving irrigation, smuggling, and illegal border crossings.

This dispute has led to clashes between the two countries.  Kyrgyzstan unilaterally closed the border with Tajikistan in spring 2021 after an armed conflict along a disputed segment of the border left 36 Kyrgyz nationals, including two children.

During fierce armed confrontations, a lot of schools, mosques were destroyed in addition to the houses of civilians; administrative buildings were also attacked by fire.

When the border closed, official trade turnover plummeted to nothing. Smugglers continued to ply their wares across the border, however.