Tajikistan’s President Lands in Kyrgyzstan in Historic Visit

President Sadyr Japarov hosted his counterpart Emomali Rahmon in Bishkek on March 13 during a state visit of historic significance, as it came off the back of momentous negotiations about the border regions between the two counties.

In the past months, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had ironed out the last details about a border agreement that was decades in the making and cost thousands of lives during sporadic conflicts.

The countries also agreed to reopen the border, which had remained closed since May 2021 following an armed conflict.

“The development of friendly and good-neighborly relations with the Republic of Tajikistan is one of the key priorities of the foreign policy of the Kyrgyz Republic,” Japarov told the press.

Rakhmon said this is a beginning of a new chapter in the relations between the neighbors.

“The border agreement will create a solid foundation for further strengthening of interstate relations. I am confident that the results of today's meetings will take the relationship to a new level that meets the fundamental interests of our peoples,” Rahmon said.

Parts of the 972-kilometer border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had been contested since the two countries obtained independence in 1991. Last month, the two sides announced that they had reached an agreement through a land swap and a mutual delimitation. Experts called the agreement a significant step for enhanced regional relations.