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Lavrov still sees potential for conflict on post-Soviet space

Lavrov mentioned the latest clashes on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

MOSCOW, September 26. /TASS/. The post-Soviet space still has potential for a conflict, although the situation is not as explosive as it was after the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Kommersant daily.

"The [conflict] potential remains, although it is far from being as explosive as shortly after the breakup of the Soviet Union," he said.

Lavrov said that with active participation of Russia and Iran, tensions between the secular government and an Islamist party in Tajikistan have at last been settled in 2006.

"Everything seemed to be calm. Members of this opposition party were engaged in the activity of state structures, government, parliament. Now those tensions resurfaced again," the minister said. "We are doing our best to ease and eliminate them. I hope we will succeed."

The minister also said that clashes on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the latest of which occurred in mid-September, took place in the past, too.

"They happened a year ago and 18 months ago, when we were actively engaged in efforts to normalize the situation. At that stage, it seemed that we succeeded. Our colleagues from Kazakhstan helped us," Lavrov continued. "The problem there is the unsolved issue of border demarkation. It is a lengthy process, as is always the case with post-Soviet borders."

Late on September 16, one Kyrgyz serviceman was killed and 13 people, including civilians, injured in a clash between border guards on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border. Tajikistan said three people were killed and 10 injured on its side.