The end of April 2021 will be remembered for the conflict at the Kyrgyz-Tajik border. As a result of the clashes, 36 Kyrgyz citizens were kille, two of whom were children. Do not think that it happened suddenly, because the question of the disputed territories has been standing for a long time, but has not been resolved to this day. And despite the fact that now the firing in Batken oblast calm down, the authorities still have a lot of work that needs to be done so that the incident does not happen again.
A lot has happened over the past week - there was an active information war on the network, where there were attempts to present Kyrgyzstan as an aggressor, misunderstanding between people, the spread of fake information, and the escalation of the situation. But we once again made sure that people in the country are always ready to help each other, because fundraising has begun urgently to help the affected residents of Batken oblast, to provide food and the future restoration of houses.
From the first days of the conflict, the Kyrgyz side made efforts to resolve the situation peacefully, however, it only intensified. On April 30, negotiations were held between President Sadyr Zhaparov and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon. The heads of state discussed ways to resolve the conflict. On the same day, President Zhaparov addressed the Kyrgyz people.
“Despite our efforts to maintain peace and stability, some forces provoked riots at the Kyrgyz-Tajik border. For two days we have been making every effort to preserve unity and solidarity between the peoples of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, avoiding the aggravation of the conflict. Determining the boundary is a matter that requires great foresight and diligence both on the part of the people and on the part of the leaders. This is evidenced by the history of the peoples of the world. Such serious issues can be resolved only through peaceful negotiations. I am sure that the leaders of the Republic of Tajikistan, wise representatives of the ancient Tajik people, share the same opinion. Our peoples are characterized by peacefulness and mutual respect, proven by centuries of history. It is no coincidence that the friendship of the two peoples is reflected in the Manas epic through Manas' love for Kanykei! In the 21st century, the Kyrgyz and Tajik peoples must show an example of harmonious good-neighborliness,” President Zhaparov said.
The head of state noted that both countries are responsible for the resources they have, including water resources.
“Unfortunately, the armed conflict, which disrupted the peaceful life of ordinary people, led to human casualties and economic damage. Both sides suffered heavy losses. Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims. I pay tribute to the heroism of the servicemen who gave their lives defending the borders of the Motherland. They say that a war is easy to start but difficult to stop. Peace and tranquility are above all. I think the Tajik people, who experienced the civil war, understand this very well. It is also not good that the Muslim peoples went against each other in the Ramadan month. Therefore, I call on all parties to peace. We have just held bilateral talks with the President of
Experts and political scientists noted the importance of dialogue, not military action, and pointed out that the conflict had been brewing for more than one year. In addition, many people raised the question of why, for more than 10 years, the authorities could not resolve this situation, which ultimately led to what happened. It is clear that during the pandemic there was no time for this, but there was a lot of time before.
Political scientist Igor Shestakov noted in an interview that in the first days of the conflict, Dushanbe did not go to a meeting, and the protraction of the conflict would cause colossal damage across the countries.
“It is clear that problems did not arise today. It seems to me that now the escalation of the conflict is reaching its most critical points. Of course, its necessary to start the negotiation process. As far as I understand, official Dushanbe has not yet come to the meeting. I mean there was a statement from the President of Kyrgyzstan on the need to resolve all existing issues exclusively by peaceful means. In this regard, it seems to me that further protraction of conflict events will negatively affect not only the security of countries, but also the security of residents, primarily those who live in these areas, and the security of the region as a whole. The challenges and threats posed by terrorists and extremists have not gone anywhere. It is no coincidence that Uzbekistan offered to act as a mediator in the negotiations, realizing that regional security is under threat," Shestakov said.
In addition, experts noted that the Tajik regime is trying to find external enemies because of the existing internal problems. Political scientist Azamat Temirkulov noted that border problems had been accumulating for 30 years, but could not be resolved in any way.
The expert believes that Rahmon's authoritarian regime is apparently trying to create an image of an external enemy because of the existing internal problems in the economy, discontent of Muslims who are oppressed by the Tajik regime, problems with the opposition, etc. Therefore, the political scientist believes, Rakhmon needed some kind of external factor, an external enemy, which he is trying to form.
The expert considers that, there is another factor in the emergence of a conflict situation. He believes that the Tajik side tried to aggravate the situation in the hope that the situation in Kyrgyzstan is unstable, and that perhaps the current government will not be able to mobilize society and a consensus on this matter, and that there will be some criticism regarding the Kyrgyz government. “And using the internal political situation in Kyrgyzstan, the Tajik side decided in this way to protect its national interests. That is why such a provocation took place,” the political scientist said.
Despite the fact that now the situation has become calmer, we should not relax. Ahead, the officials have to do a lot of work to resolve the situation with the disputed border areas. In addition, it is necessary to restore the destroyed infrastructure and the houses of the victims. Every day there is new information about the delivery of humanitarian goods to Batken region, not only from the state, but also from ordinary citizens, as well as from other countries.
After the end of the shooting at the border, the president of the Kyrgyz Republic announced the importance of territorial integrity and border security.
“The territorial integrity and security of our sacred Fatherland were under threat, and the peace of the peaceful people was violated. However, thanks to the preparedness, high morale and heroism of the border guards and law enforcement agencies of Kyrgyzstan, we managed to preserve the territorial integrity of our country. Unfortunately, we have suffered heavy losses. Thousands of our citizens were forced to leave their homes. As a result of the fearless and stubborn protection of the borders by the border guards and security agencies of Kyrgyzstan, negotiations began, and only a diplomatic way of resolving the conflict was determined. I spoke with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon twice. In order to avoid further escalation of the conflict, a protocol was signed following the results of the work of intergovernmental commissions on border demarcation,” Zhaparov said.
Kabar News Agency
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