Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan relations

Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan relations
Map indicating locations of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan

Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan relations refers to the bilateral diplomatic relations between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Both countries were a part of the Soviet Union. Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan relations have been tense in recent years.[1] The two countries fought in border clashes in 2021 and 2022. Refugees and antigovernment fighters in Tajikistan have crossed into Kyrgyzstan several times, even taking hostages.[1]

Country comparison

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Common name Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
Official name Kyrgyz Republic Republic of Tajikistan
Emblem
Flag
Capital Bishkek Dushanbe
Largest city Bishkek Dushanbe
Government Unitary presidential republic Unitary semi-presidential republic under an authoritarian dictatorship
Population 7,161,900 10,277,100
First leader Askak Akayev Quahhor Mahkamov
Current Leader Sadyr Japarov Emomali Rahmon
Religion Islam Islam
Official script Cyrillic Cyrillic
Official languages Kyrgyz and Russian Tajik

History

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Kyrgyzstan attempted to assist in brokering an agreement between contesting Tajik forces in October 1992 but without success.[1] Askar Akayev later joined presidents Islam Karimov and Nursultan Nazarbayev in sending a joint intervention force to support Tajikistan's president Emomali Rahmon against insurgents, but the Kyrgyzstani parliament delayed the mission of its small contingent for several months until late spring 1993. In mid-1995, Kyrgyzstani forces had the responsibility of sealing a small portion of the Tajikistan border near Panj from Tajik rebel forces.

The greater risk to Kyrgyzstan from Tajikistan is the general destabilization that the protracted civil war has brought to the region. In particular, the Khorog-Osh road, the so-called "highway above the clouds", has become a major conduit of contraband of all sorts, including weapons and drugs. A meeting of the heads of the state security agencies of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, held in Osh in the spring of 1995, also drew the conclusion that ethnic, social, and economic conditions in Osh were increasingly similar to those in Tajikistan in the late 1980s, thus recognizing the contagion of Tajikistan's instability.

Beginning on April 28, 2021, a border clash between the two countries broke out, resulting in the death of more than 40 people and displacing 30,000 on the Kyrgyz side.[2] Border clashes erupted again in September 14, 2022, causing at least 94 deaths.[3]

Presidential visits

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Guest Host Place of visit Date of visit
Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akayev Bishkek January 1993
Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akayev Bishkek May 1998
Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev Bishkek September 2007[4]
Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev Bishkek May 2013[5]
Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akayev Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon Dushanbe July 1996
Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akayev Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon Dushanbe May 2004
Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon Dushanbe May 2008
Kyrgyzstan President Roza Otunbayeva Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon Dushanbe November 2010[6]
Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon Dushanbe February 2018[7]
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon Dushanbe June 2021[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Martha Brill Olcott. "Central Asian Neighbors". Kyrgyzstan: a country study (Glenn E. Curtis, editor). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (March 1996). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ "Border Clash Between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Risks Spinning Out of Control". United States Institute of Peace. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  3. ^ "Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border clashes claim nearly 100 lives". BBC. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  4. ^ "TAJIKISTAN AND KYRGYZSTAN AGREE TO DEEPEN SECURITY COOPERATION". Jamestown.
  5. ^ "Официальный сайт Президента Кыргызской Республики". Archived from the original on 2018-02-03. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  6. ^ "Вазорати корҳои хориҷии Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон". Archived from the original on February 20, 2019.
  7. ^ "Официальный сайт Президента Кыргызской Республики". Archived from the original on 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  8. ^ "События - Официальный сайт Президента Кыргызской Республики".
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