BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 4. Kyrgyzstan has begun the formal transfer process for two villages ceded by Uzbekistan under a bilateral border demarcation agreement.
This was reflected in a statement published by the Office of the Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in Kyrgyzstan's Batken Region.
According to the statement, organizational and technical procedures related to the exchange of territories have entered the implementation stage under agreements reached during the demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek state border. The work follows decisions adopted at a meeting of the two countries' joint commission held on July 24 in Kadamjay District.
"Joint working groups have begun carrying out organizational and technical procedures on the ground, including public outreach, resident registration and other practical measures," the statement said.
The process is being coordinated by First Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President in Batken Region Baktybek Toksonbayev and Deputy Head of Uzbekistan's Migration and Personalization Department Bekhzod Sayfullaev, the report says.
According to the press release, during the border demarcation process, the villages of Chong-Gara and Tash-Tobe, previously part of Uzbekistan's Fergana Region, were transferred to Kyrgyzstan. The two settlements are home to around 2,500 people, most of whom are ethnic Kyrgyz.
Authorities have begun registering residents, after which procedures for granting Kyrgyz citizenship will be carried out in accordance with national legislation. In exchange, Kyrgyzstan will transfer an equivalent area of land to Uzbekistan under the bilateral agreement on border delimitation and demarcation, the report says.
Previously, several unresolved sections of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border complicated transport links, as well as access to agricultural land and water resources in border areas. Kyrgyz authorities say implementation of the border agreement is expected to improve regional connectivity. One of the agreed land exchanges will make it possible to build a direct road between the villages of Sai and Tayan, reducing the distance from Aidarken to Batken from about 225 kilometers to around 55 kilometers.
