Kyrgyz Ambassador Recalled Over Border Clash With Tajikistan

By The Moscow Times

Jan. 15, 2014

Kyrgyzstan has recalled its ambassador to Tajikistan following a border skirmish on Saturday, Kyrgyz media reported Tuesday.

The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry said the ambassador was returning to discuss the matter with Kyrgyz officials, according to news agency K-News.

Five Kyrgyz and three Tajik border guards were seriously injured in the clash, during which Tajik soldiers fired mortar rounds, Kyrgyz media reported.

Kyrgyz and Tajik authorities agreed on Monday to withdraw military and guard units from border settlements after deciding to jointly patrol the areas just a week ago.

Kyrgyzstan closed its border crossings with Tajikistan following the attack, although a Kyrgyz official said Monday that travelers from third nations could still pass unhindered.

The borders between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the densely populated Fergana Valley have been contested since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. More than a third of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border remains disputed.

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