In the second part of the documentary "The President," shown on the local "Region TV," Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov spoke in detail about how the border issue with Tajikistan was resolved. According to him, this path was not easy: there were painful conflicts, fruitless negotiations, and then a difficult process that led to a gradual decision.
10 hours of negotiation, but no result
In an interview with journalist Aibek Biybosun, Japarov recalled that even after the bloody border clash in April 2021, he went to Dushanbe and held face-to-face talks with Emomali Rahmon, despite protests from his relatives and close ones, including Kamchibek Tashiev. However, he said that although the round table lasted about 10 hours, it was unsuccessful.
Army reinforcement and air superiority
According to the president, the conflict of that year showed that the armed forces of Tajikistan were relatively stronger at that time. After this, it was noted that the Kyrgyz army began to strengthen, in particular, drones such as Bayraktar Akinji and Aksungur were purchased from Turkey.
Japarov noted that by the time of the next conflict in September 2022, the possibilities of the two sides had significantly equalized, and even Kyrgyzstan began to gain air superiority.
Decisive challenge leading to an agreement
One of the most interesting aspects: Japarov openly stated that the leader of Uzbekistan made a great contribution to reaching an agreement with Tajikistan. According to him, at the summits, he suggested to Rahmon "let's sit and talk," first received a rejection, and then agreed a second time.
Here, Japarov emphasized that the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev brought the parties closer with the idea that "it is necessary to reach mutual agreement without wasting the opportunity." As a result, it was possible to resolve the border dispute by sitting at the negotiating table.
After Tajikistan, the issue with Uzbekistan was also resolved
The President also noted that after the border issue with Tajikistan was resolved, border issues with Uzbekistan were also successfully resolved. This is an important signal for the region: when borders are clear, trust increases and cooperation opens up.
"Neither an investor nor a tourist will go where there is a quarrel."
Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev also recognized Shavkat Mirziyoyev as one of the leaders bringing the countries of Central Asia closer together. According to him, Mirziyoyev has always repeatedly said the same thing: let the Kyrgyz and Tajiks come, let the border disputes stop, otherwise neither the investor nor the tourist will come. The minister explained this with a folk example, expressing the opinion that the outside world sees the region as the same in the general concept of "istan."
Background: 2021 and 2022 clashes, then 2025 signature
For information, in April 2021, a dispute over the water use of the population on the border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan escalated into an armed conflict involving the military, killing dozens of people. A similar incident occurred in September 2022, causing further destruction and casualties.
Finally, in March 2025, Sadyr Japarov and Emomali Rahmon concluded negotiations in Bishkek on the delimitation and demarcation of the border, which had been ongoing since 2002, and signed an agreement. Shortly thereafter, a solemn opening of the "Friendship" stele took place in Khujand with the participation of the leaders of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Conclusion
The main point of this story is one: if the border issue in the region is resolved not with weapons, but with patience, dialogue, and political will, confidence in tomorrow will grow. Now, the most important thing is that these agreements do not remain on paper, but serve peace, stability, and open cooperation in practice. Then the investor will come, the tourist will come, and most importantly - people will live peacefully.
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