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Kyrgyzstan to continue construction works on border with Tajikistan

BISHKEK, January 30. /ITAR-TASS/. Kyrgyzstan will not abandon its plans for construction work at the scene of a recent armed conflict on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border, a spokesman for the Kyrgyz government told Itar-Tass on Thursday.

“A number of Tajikistan's media have carried reports the Kyrgyz Republic has stopped building the Koktash-Aksai-Tamdyk road,” the spokesman said. “Therefore, we want to say that Kyrgyzstan will not stop this project. The machines and equipment have had to be stopped at a certain point where blast hole drilling works are needed.

On January 11, Tajik and Kyrgyz border guards exchanged fire near the Batken village of Ak-Sai. Six Kyrgyz nationals and two Tajiks were wounded in the shootout.

The conflict was triggered by Kyrgyzstan's construction of a loop road around the Tajik enclave of Vorukh. According to Kyrgyz Prime Minister Zhantoro Satybaldiyev, Kyrgyzstan was doing construction work in its own territory. “We have maps showing that this section administratively belongs to our republic,” he said.

Dushanbe disagrees.

On Thursday, Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Tokon Mamytov met with his Tajik counterpart Murad Ali Mardan to discuss the situation on the border, the spokesmen said.

“The Tajik side asked to schedule a meeting following the incident on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border,” he said. “The parties discuss possible measures to resolve the conflict on the border.”

On January 29, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan started withdrawing their military units from the border conflict zone.