Today morning, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon arrived in Vorukh, a jamoat (the third-level administrative divisions, similar to communes or municipalities) in northern Tajikistan, which is an exclave surrounded by Kyrgyzstan.
Tajik leader has inaugurated a number of jubilee facilities in the area, including a sports complex, National Flag Square, renovated building of Kokhi Farhang (Palace of Culture), and a new building of a secondary school.
Emomali Rahmon is also scheduled to hold meeting with local administrators and residents of the jamoat.
The visit of President Emomali Rahmon to Vorukh is taking place against the background of discussions on a statement by Kyrgyz security agency chief Kamchybek Tashiyev regarding Kyrgyzstan’s proposal to exchange Vorukh for a land plot in in Kyrgyzstan’s Batken region.
Recall, the Chairman of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan Kamchybek Tashiyev told reporters in Bishkek on March 26 that Kyrgyzstan proposed to exchange Vorukh enclave for land plots in Leilek and Batken districts.
According to him, negotiations with Tajikistan on delimitation of the state border continue. “We have a disputed moment — Vorukh enclave. We propose to define the border of the enclave so that it does not increase, and we are ready to provide a road bypassing Ak-Sai village. Or exchange the enclave for other land plots in Leilek and Batken districts,” Kamchybek Tashiyev said, according to 24.kg.
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 Ferghana Valley, where the borders of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan meet.
The location of the border of the Vorukh exclave is disputed by the Tajik and Kyrgyz governments
The border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan 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 976 kilometers of border – of which only 504 kilometers has reportedly been properly delineated.
In 2019 alone, there were at least fourteen cases of violence, in which six Tajik nationals and one Kyrgyz citizen were killed and more than 60 other people were injured.
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan renewed interest in border delimitation suggests that the governments want to dedicate more attention and resources to the communities living in the Ferghana Valley.
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