BISHKEK, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The long-standing border dispute between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is on the verge of resolution, with bilateral procedures now underway, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said in an interview with the official Kabar news agency on Tuesday.
The final step of the process will be the signing of an agreement by the presidents of both states after the completion of essential stages, including approval by their parliaments.
Following the completion of all paperwork, the two nations will engage in a demarcation process that is expected to take another one to two years before the issue is fully resolved.
The agreement includes the relocation of houses in border villages, where properties were sometimes located across the two countries' borders in a "chessboard" pattern. In these cases, residents whose homes fall on the opposite side of the border will be resettled.
The Tajik side will relocate its citizens, while Kyrgyz citizens will also be moved. Both sides will carefully consider the size of land plots to ensure fair compensation.
Japarov emphasized that the resolution ensures mutual benefits for both nations, stating that unilateral interests would not prevail in the agreement. He also noted that the border area spans nearly a thousand kilometers, with multiple disputed sections, many of which have now been amicably resolved.
The dispute over the Kyrgyz-Tajik border stems from unresolved territorial issues dating back to Soviet times. With a total length of about 970 kilometers, the border was never fully delimited or demarcated. ■