The foreign ministers of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have discussed the situation along disputed segments of the border between the two Central Asian nations after another deadly shoot-out involving border guards.
The call between Ruslan Kazakbaev and Sirojiddin Muhriddin on April 14 came after a Tajik border guard died of wounds he sustained in a shoot-out on April 12. Two Kyrgyz border guards and four Kyrgyz civilians were also wounded in the incident.
The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said that Kazakbaev and Muhriddin "agreed to continue discussions on further steps to resolve border issues."
Tajikistan's state-controlled Khovar news agency said that, during the call, Muhriddin "condemned the actions of the Kyrgyz border guards and demanded that objective investigations of the incident be held and that all responsible individuals be brought to justice."
Also on April 14, about a dozen Kyrgyz activists picketed the Tajik Embassy in Bishkek, accusing Tajik President Emomali Rahmon of being responsible for the deaths of Kyrgyz citizens who have been killed along the border in skirmishes since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The latest clashes took place just weeks after border guards from the two sides exchanged fire on March 10. No casualties were reported then.
In late January, clashes erupted along a segment of the two countries’ poorly demarcated border in a standoff over a blocked road.
Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security said at the time that two civilians were killed and 10 other people -- six security force members and four civilians -- were wounded.
Kyrgyz authorities said that 12 Kyrgyz nationals were seriously wounded and more than 24,200 Kyrgyz citizens were evacuated from the area because of the fighting in January.
Almost half of the 970-kilometer Kyrgyz-Tajik border has yet to be demarcated, leading to repeated tensions since the two countries gained independence three decades ago.
Many border areas in Central Asia have been disputed since the Soviet Union's collapse.
The situation is particularly complicated near the numerous exclaves in the volatile Ferghana Valley, where the borders of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan meet.
In April 2021, clashes involving military personnel along the Tajik-Kyrgyz border left dozens of people dead on both sides.
Kyrgyz, Tajik Foreign Ministers Discuss Border Issues After Latest Shoot-Out
Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbaev (left) and his Tajik counterpart, Sirojiddin Muhriddin (file photo)