Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan May End Border Dispute by Agreeing to Joint Use of Infrastructure on Two Sides of the Border

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Jan. 7 – The long-running dispute between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan over portions of their 970-kilometer border and the status of exclaves, including most prominently Vorukh, may finally be moving toward a resolution because the two countries appear to have agreed to joint use of key infrastructure on both sides of the border.

            Close observers of the talks which have speeded up since the violent clashes around Vorukh in September 2022 say the two sides have agreed in principle on this as the basis of an accord, although they admit that details have not been released and may require more talks (iz.ru/1623500/igor-karmazin/operatciia-delimitatciia-kak-kirgiziia-i-tadzhikistan-deliat-granitcu).

            The decision of Bishkek and Dushanbe to share infrastructure use of the infrastructure on the two sides of the borders has the effect of reducing the significance of the political borders themselves for both countries, and that in turn could become a model other countries with border disputes may want to try.