The government of Tajikistan has been negotiating with Kyrgyzstan since 2002 and the delegations of the Intergovernmental Commission on Delimitation and Demarcation have held more than 100 meetings to date. «During the entire period of negotiations, we have never considered exchanging Vorukh with any other territory,» said President Emomali Rahmon at a meeting with the residents of the village of Vorukh in Isfara.
As Isfara borders Kyrgyzstan plays, it plays an important role in strengthening friendly relations between the two countries.
“In this regard, one of the main issues for residents of Isfara, including the village of Vorukh, is the delimitation and demarcation of the state border between,” he continued.
He informed the residents of Isfara and the village of Vorukh that during the high-level talks in October 2019, the Tajik government had agreed with the then Kyrgyz president to escalate the activities of the Intergovernmental Commission on Delimitation and Demarcation of the State Border to the level of deputies prime minister.
“During the 19 years of the commission’s operation, 519.9km of the border has been determined and agreed upon, and a draft agreement on the state border was developed for signing,” noted President Emomali Rahmon.
According to him, based on the agreement reached with the Kyrgyz colleagues, the agreement was supposed to be signed by the heads of state in May 2016.
At the proposal of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Tajik government reviewed this document and completed its internal procedures.
However, the agreement has yet to be signed for reasons outside of Tajikistan’s control.
“The government of Tajikistan is interested in completing the demarcation of the state border between Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic at the earliest possible date, and signing this document would enable the delimitation of more than half of the state border,” he said.
President Emomali Rahmon emphasized that the international experience has shown that the relationship between neighboring countries should be based on mutual respect, tolerance, and consideration of national interests of the parties.
He emphasized that border issues and territorial disputes, coordination of the state border-line, and its demarcation is a complex process requiring great effort and time.
“It goes without saying that such disputes should be resolved based on the mutual interests of the parties and their approved legal framework.»
According to President Emomali Rahmon, Tajikistan is committed to finding a mutually acceptable solution to the existing issues.
He once again called upon the people of Isfara and the village of Vorukh to peacefully coexist with their neighbors and to strive to be more patient, as such issues can be resolved only through negotiations and not emotions.
“We have no other solution to this issue,” concluded Emomali Rahmon.
