Kyrgyz parliament ratifies border deal with Tajikistan

Kyrgyzstan's parliament on Wednesday ratified a border agreement with neighboring Tajikistan, resolving a long-standing dispute between the two Central Asian nations which had been a source of conflict in recent years.

The bill, along with two others related to two separate agreements signed alongside the border deal, were considered and adopted in three readings, a statement by Kyrgyzstan's Supreme Council said.

Several parliamentary committees also held a joint meeting and approved the bills, it added.

"The settlement of the borders will strengthen the centuries-old friendship between the two peoples and contribute to the cessation of disagreements and conflicts between them," Turgunbek uluu Nurlanbek, the parliament's speaker, was quoted as saying in a later statement.

The speaker further expressed hope that the ratification of the deals will also contribute to the development of political, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

On Thursday, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon signed an agreement on the state border in Bishkek.

The nearly 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border has been a recurring flashpoint for conflict, with the most severe clashes seen in 2021 and 2022.

In 2021, three days of fighting claimed the lives of 36 Kyrgyz citizens and 19 Tajik citizens.

In September 2022, two days of clashes left a total of at least 100 people dead and forced the evacuation of around 140,000 people.