Russia has issued a plea to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, urging both nations to exercise restraint and avoid making inflammatory statements or impulsive decisions that could undermine the recent progress achieved in the negotiation process regarding the delimitation and demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border. The statement, as reported on by the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry, comes in response to escalating rhetoric between Bishkek and Dushanbe concerning ongoing border disputes.
In a carefully worded statement, Moscow expressed its close monitoring of the evolving situation and stressed the importance of maintaining a peaceful dialogue.
“Taking into account the agreements reached during the meeting of the Presidents of Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on October 13, 2022 in Astana, our country confirms its sincere readiness to provide any assistance acceptable to our partners,” the statement read.
Russia reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to providing any assistance deemed acceptable to its partners in resolving the border issues.
The Russian Foreign Ministry further underscored the potentially damaging consequences of armed conflicts in the post-Soviet space. It argued that such conflicts primarily serve the interests of the "collective West," which is accused of pursuing selfish objectives unrelated to the genuine interests of Central Asian nations.
Earlier, Kamchybek Tashiev, the head of the State National Security Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, had called on Tajik authorities to abandon any territorial claims against Kyrgyzstan. Tashiev warned that if Tajikistan did not cease its territorial claims, Kyrgyzstan would respond in kind, using its strength and capabilities to assert its claims over lands that were transferred to the Republic of Tajikistan decades or even centuries ago.
“If the neighboring country does not give up its territorial claims, then we will also make them. We have enough strength and capabilities for this. We have the opportunity to return the lands that were transferred to the Republic of Tajikistan tens or even hundreds of years ago,” the head of the State Committee for National Security noted.
In a swift response to Tashiev's remarks, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan, Erlan Abdyldayev, was summoned to the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Tajikistan. During this meeting, the Tajik side expressed its concerns over the statements made by a high-ranking official from the Kyrgyz Republic regarding border issues between the two nations, statements that had been widely disseminated in the public sphere on September 15.
The situation along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border remains a sensitive issue, with both countries having a history of sporadic disputes. Russia's call for restraint and dialogue reflects its desire to ensure the peaceful resolution of these border disputes and prevent any escalation of hostilities that could have dire consequences for the region.
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