BISHKEK, September 16. /TASS/. OSCE Chairman-in-Office Zbigniew Rau and Secretary General Helga Schmid had a phone call on Friday with the Kyrgyz foreign minister, urging compliance with the ceasefire on the republic's border with Tajikistan.
"On September 16, 2022, Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev had a telephone conversation with OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, as well as OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid. <...> The OSCE representatives, expressing deep concern over the coming news, called on the sides not to allow the conflict to worsen and to resolve it peacefully," the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry reported on its website.
"They also welcomed the efforts of the parties to establish a constructive dialogue and called on them to respect the previous ceasefire agreements," it went on to say.
According to the ministry, the foreign minister briefed the OSCE officials on the current situation on the border of the two countries and emphasized the commitment of the Kyrgyz side to the diplomatic settlement of the situation.
Tensions on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan escalated on September 14. Tajik border guard units penetrated into an undefined area of the border near the Bulak-Bashi area of Kyrgyzstan’s Batken Region and "took up fighting positions". In response to the Kyrgyz servicemen’s demand to leave the area, the Tajik officers opened fire. A shootout ensued. A few hours later armed clashes also occurred in the Kak-Sai and Pasky-Aryk areas of the Batken Region. By late afternoon, the shootouts had ceased. The Kyrgyz side said two servicemen were wounded and three civilians were injured.