https://arab.news/rk39e
- Deal was signed in Bishek on Thursday by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon
- Kingdom congratulated the governments and peoples of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on the signing of the agreement
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia welcomed on Thursday a border agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that involves an exchange of territory.
The deal was signed in Bishek on Thursday by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon.
The Kingdom congratulated the governments and peoples of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on the signing of the agreement, and wished both countries stability and prosperity.
Kyrgyzstan will receive about 25 square kilometres from Tajikistan in exchange for about the same amount of land or for better access to shared water resources, Kyrgyz authorities said.
The accord stipulates that certain roads will be designated as neutral, and that neither side may hinder the use of agricultural or energy facilities in border regions.
The move follows three decades of conflict between the two former Soviet republics over water resources and land.
“From now and forever, the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will be the border of eternal friendship,” Japarov said.
Japarov’s office said the accord would contribute to “strengthening security, stability and sustainable development in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and in the whole of Central Asia.”