MOSCOW, September 14. /TASS/. Russia calls on Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to take measures to normalize the situation on the border and prevent provocations, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a commentary distributed on Wednesday.
"The Russian side is closely monitoring the tense situation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border, which again escalated in the morning of September 14 as a result of a shootout between border guards," the diplomat said, "In view of the existing agreements between the presidents of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, we call on both sides to take all necessary measures to return the situation to the political and diplomatic field and jointly prevent any kind of provocation."
At the same time, Moscow reiterated its readiness to assist the parties in finding a long-term solution to border issues. "We express our readiness to assist the parties in finding a long-term mutually acceptable solution to border issues, using Russia's rich experience in border delimitation, including with its Central Asian neighbors," Zakharova concluded.
Earlier, it was reported that there was a shootout between Kyrgyz and Tajik border guards on Wednesday.
The Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border is more than 980 kilometers long, with dozens of disputed sections remaining after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Up to date, more than 660 km between the two countries have been identified and agreed upon in the process of delimitation and demarcation. In some areas, disputes and conflicts arise from time to time between local residents of the border areas.