In a statement delivered in the Jogorku Kenesh (Kyrgyzstan’s parliament) regarding the agreement on the delimitation of the border with Tajikistan, the head of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) of Kyrgyzstan, Kamchybek Tashiyev, noted on February 27 that the "Golovnoi" water distribution facility has been divided equally, with Tajikistan transferring 750 hectares of land to Kyrgyzstan in return.

According to him, the parties had disputed for two years, and as a result, the Kyrgyz side stated that if the facility were to be divided, the Tajik side should compensate.

"We divided the three sluices – one and a half each.  With this, we acquired 500 hectares of the Munzhu-Bulak area in the Chon-Alay district (on the border with the Lakhsh district of Tajikistan).  This was a very contentious area, along with 100 hectares of the Karoool-Don area.  We also received 150 hectares of the Katta-Tuz area (on the border with the Niyozbek jamoat, Konibodom district of Tajikistan).  This area was contested, being either Tajik or Kyrgyz.  However, after reviewing the documents, we found that this area had never been ours.  Despite that, we divided it equally – 300 hectares each.  All the oil wells were split evenly.  Additionally, from the 300 hectares, we received another 150 hectares.  Thus, if the Katta-Tuz area was 600 hectares, we received 450 hectares.  In exchange for one and a half sluices at the "Golovnoi" water intake, we acquired 750 hectares," Tashiyev stated.

Previously, Tajikistan claimed that the water distribution facility was located in Tajik territory, and that Kyrgyzstan had been controlling it “unilaterally.”

“According to the maps from 1924-1927 and 1989, this hydraulic structure is entirely located within the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan.  It was built in 1968 and was intended for irrigation and watering of agricultural lands in the border cities and districts of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan," the Main Border Guard Directorate of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) of Tajikistan stated during the conflict in April 2021.

Water distribution

Kamchybek Tashiyev briefly mentioned the water distribution, stating, “There are agreements on how the water should be divided,” but did not provide further details.  He may have been referring to the 1980 agreement.

During the Soviet era, the protocol of April 11, 1980, on the inter-republican distribution of small rivers' runoff in the Fergana Valley established the following proportions for the division of the Isfara River’s flow: Tajikistan – 55%, Kyrgyzstan – 37%, and Uzbekistan – 8%.

Section 6 of the 1980 protocol stated: "It is considered advisable to carry out the main filling of the Tortgul Reservoir from October 1 to April 1, leaving sanitary discharges of 1.5 m³/sec in the river (below the hydraulic structure)…"

History of the water distribution facility

Former mayor of the Tajik northern city of Isfara and frequent participant in intergovernmental negotiations, Mirzosharif Islomidinov, previously shared with Asia-Plus the history of the construction of the water distribution facility and the documents confirming that the hydraulic structure is located on Tajikistan’s territory. Below is a brief summary:

*"In the mid-1950s, the construction of the Tortkul Reservoir and the Tortkul Canal was planned. The channel's course, in some areas, was supposed to pass through the territory of the Isfara district of the Tajik SSR. At that time, at the initiative of the Kyrgyz side, a so-called parity commission was created.  The Tajik SSR’s representative in the commission was the deputy chairman of the Leninabad region, Kuvshinov.

“For unclear reasons, and as a result of the commission's work, several thousand hectares of land belonging to the Isfara district were proposed to be transferred to the Kyrgyz Republic.  In return, the Kyrgyz side was supposed to use the Tortkul Reservoir as an inter-republican facility and assist in irrigating approximately 3,500 hectares of land in the Isfara district.  However, this protocol of the parity commission did not acquire legal force, as the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR rejected it.

“After the unilateral ratification by the Kyrgyz side, they began to make changes to the existing maps.  However, until the late 1970s, the Main Cartographic Department (GUK) did not make changes to the USSR map, as the protocol was not legally binding.  Both the parity commission's protocol and the proposed changes to the maps still indicated that the main structures of the Tortkul Reservoir, which had been constructed in the early 1960s, were located within the territory of Tajikistan.

“In the summer of 1989, a conflict erupted in the border areas of the Tajik and Kyrgyz SSRs due to violations of water usage from the Isfara River by the Kyrgyz side.  Residents of the Tajik village of Khojai A’lo blocked the Mastchoh canal in response to actions by the Kyrgyz side, demanding the return of illegally transferred lands.

“On June 13, 1989, around 3,000 Kyrgyz residents from the Batken district attacked the Tajik village of Khojai A’lo.  The confrontation lasted for a month and a half, ending with the intervention of special forces from Russia’s Perm region.  The result was two deaths and 24 injuries on the Tajik side, along with the imposition of a curfew.

“The parity commission proposed transferring 68 hectares of mountainous land near Vorukh and 18 hectares of land around Khojai A’lo to Tajikistan.  However, the residents of Vorukh categorically rejected these decisions, and the protocol was not signed by the Tajik side. Attempts to force ratification of the agreement by the CPSU Central Committee were thwarted by Isfara leaders, who convinced the head of the republic, Qahhor Mahkamov, not to make concessions.

“In the fall of 1989, Politburo member Andrei Gerenko arrived in the region to compel the leadership of Tajikistan to sign the protocol. However, Prime Minister Izatullo Hayoyev categorically refused, stating: "I would rather resign than act against the will of the people!"  The border issue was postponed, and a new parity commission, created in 1990, effectively ceased operations due to political upheavals.”

MIGRATION

Labor migrants in Russia way be allowed to work in Moscow and adjacent region on one patent

DUSHANBE, March 3, 2025, Asia-Plus -- In Russia, the territorial scope of the patent system for labor migrants working in Moscow and St. Petersburg may be expanded.  The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation has prepared relevant amendments to the country’s law "On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation."  RBC has reviewed the draft changes.

It is proposed that migrants in the capital agglomerations will be able to work under a single patent in two regions, provided that agreements are made between the subjects of the Russian Federation.  In turn, employers operating within one region will be able to hire foreign citizens who have received a patent in the other region.  This means that a patent issued in Moscow could be used to work in the Moscow oblast, and vice versa.  Similarly, a patent issued in St. Petersburg could be used to work in the Leningrad oblast, and vice versa.

The new procedure will apply to Moscow and the Moscow oblast, as well as St. Petersburg and the Leningrad oblast, according to the draft law.  It is expected to come into effect on September 1, 2025.  As the migrant’s activities will no longer be restricted to one region, foreign citizens are “likely to work without any patent at all, rather than applying for two.”  These circumstances are contributing to the growth of illegal labor migration and the shadow economy, according to the Ministry of Finance.

"When selecting the regions, the inseparable economic ties and common labor market of these subjects were taken into account.  The adoption of the draft law will reduce business costs and also increase the mobility of labor resources," the Ministry of Finance commented to RBC.

The draft law has been agreed upon by the Moscow city government, the Moscow region government, the Federal Tax Service, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as indicated in the accompanying materials.  RBC has sent requests to the regions affected by the regulation.  The press office of the governor and government of the Leningrad oblast informed RBC that the draft law has not yet been sent to the region for “coordination.”

What are the changes about?

A work patent for migrants is a document that allows a visa-free foreign citizen (for example, from Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, but not from EAEU countries) to work in Russia.  Currently, patents operate on the principle of “one patent – one region and one profession.”  Business entities often face the need to arrange two patents for foreign workers simultaneously, according to the explanatory note.

At the same time, the procedure for obtaining two patents “involves significant time and financial costs for foreign citizens,” the explanatory note states.

The Ministry of Finance hopes  that the adoption of this federal law project will reduce costs for businesses and ease the administrative pressure on foreign workers and employers using their labor.  The ministry is confident that it will also increase the mobility of labor resources and make the patent system more attractive for foreign citizens.