A week-long meeting of working topographic groups of the government delegations of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan that was held in Dushanbe from March 10 through March 16 resulted in signing of a respective protocol, AKIpress reported on March 16, citing the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan.     

No other details of the meeting were given.  AKIPress just noted that the next meeting of the topographic groups will be held in Kyrgyzstan. 

Recall, Russia’s news agency TASS reported last week that the Kyrgyz delegation that consists of 15 people is led by Nazirbek Borubayev, the Special Representative of the Cabinet of Ministers for Border Issues.  

The parties reportedly discussed  issues related to delimitation and demarcation of disputed stretches of the mutual border.

It was the eighth meeting since the September 14-17, 2022 violence, which marked the worst hostilities between the two countries.

The border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has been the scene of unrest repeatedly since the collapse of the former Soviet Union.

In the latest border clashes between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan that occurred on September 14-17 last year, both sides reportedly lost over 100 people both military population and ordinary citizens.  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.

The latest armed confrontation was the worst since April 2021, when over 50 citizens of both nations died during the armed hostilities. 

Border talks between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan began in December 2002.  The countries share 976 kilometers of border – of which little more than 600 kilometers have reportedly been properly delineated, leading to tensions for the past 30 years.

The two countries have reportedly had more than 140 border-related conflicts in the past decade.

To-date, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have held more than 170 meetings and negotiations on delimitation and demarcation of the common border.

According to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, 63 percent -- or some 625 kilometers of the roughly 980-kilometer border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan -- has been demarcated so far, as the sides work to define the remaining areas.