12:21, 06 марта 2025, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Aizada KUTUEVA
During a session of the Parliament, deputy Sultanbai Aizhigitov expressed his opinion on the agreement on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border, making a number of accusations. In response, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov commented on the matter to Kabar news agency.
According to Japarov, the deputy’s statements were pure demagogy. «It’s unclear why this person changed his opinion in just three days. We need to figure out why he did this. He knows everything, he understands everything perfectly. But, for some reason, he pretends to be unaware and provokes conflict,» the president said.
«For example, in his speech yesterday, he talks about Vorukh. It seems as if we gave away 19,500 hectares of land. But according to old maps, Vorukh originally occupied 14,500 hectares. He knows this very well. He is from Batken himself. Moreover, he was a governor.
In addition, Vorukh residents have always used our pastures of 5,000 hectares. Our local population could only get there through Vorukh, so today no one uses these pastures at all. There is no other way there. Then they offered: give us all these pastures, and in exchange we will give you 5,000 hectares in another place, let’s exchange. But we refused. We did not exchange all 5,000 hectares, but only 1,000, left 1,000 and in return received 1,000 hectares of pastures in Chon-Alai.
As a result, Vorukh’s territory was finalized at 15,500 hectares. That’s it. A final decision has been made. 14,500 hectares were historically theirs, as reflected in old maps. Despite being aware of this, the deputy continues to manipulate,» Sadyr Japarov added.
The head of the Kyrgyz Republic also spoke about Dostuk village.
«They say that it is allegedly a «gateway» to Vorukh. Where is Vorukh and where is Dostuk? They are in completely different places. The village of Ak-Sai blocks the way to Vorukh. He knows this very well. Both sides were not guided by strategic goals when exchanging land. We only exchanged those areas where conflicts constantly arose. Because these lands are either enclaves, or are located in a checkerboard pattern, or directly border our villages. We also received their villages,» Sadyr Japarov added.
«We see that their people also criticize the government. When settling the border issue between two states, one cannot be guided only by the interests of one village,» the president believes.
The head of state also does not agree with the deputy’s phrase that «the agreement states that it is indefinite and cannot be denounced — this is wrong.»
«According to his logic, should we argue about land every year, fight, shoot? The border issue has been decided forever. That’s it, a final decision has been made, with both sides’ interests considered. There is still much to say about the border. But now is not the time. Let it all end, and then we will say. History will judge us. I am sure that it will give us an «excellent» grade,» Sadyr Japarov summed up.
On February 27, six committees of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan reviewed and approved the ratification of the agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on the state border.
Chairman of the State Committee for National Security Kamchybek Tashiev said that the process of ratifying the agreement on the state border would be completed within a month. The agreement was signed on February 21 in Bishkek following the negotiations of government delegations on the delimitation of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.
Deputy Sultanbai Aizhigitov expressed the opinion at a parliamentary session on March 5 that Kyrgyzstan should get back Dostuk village, not share Golovnoy water intake with its neighbors 50/50, and not give away the land around Vorukh enclave. A little later, he was expelled from Yiman Nuru faction for this.