Bishkek and Tashkent have completed the border delimitation process, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said following talks with his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Bishkek on Friday, TASS reports.
"We have put an end to border disputes," he said after an agreement on the matter had been signed.
According to Japarov, the factor "will play a key role in the development of fraternal relations" between the two countries and "will contribute to stability and security in Central Asia." Japarov pointed out that Bishkek and Tashkent "showed readiness for dialogue" and "laid the foundation for the development and prosperity of our coming generations."
"Negotiations are over and a historical border agreement has been reached," Mirziyoyev said, commenting on the developments.
The Kyrgyz-Uzbek border is over 1,300 km long. Dozens of disputed sections emerged on the border after the collapse of the Soviet Union. For almost 30 years, Bishkek and Tashkent had been unable to make an agreement on border delimitation and demarcation. In the fall of 2017, the parties managed to step up the process, with a 230-kilometer-long segment containing about 50 disputed sectors left to agree on as of early 2022. The two countries’ foreign ministers signed an agreement on the remaining disputed sectors last fall, which was later ratified by both parliaments.
Apart from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan also borders China, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, which is the only country that Bishkek has yet to complete the border demarcation and delimitation process with.