Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are set to sign agreements that will fully settle outstanding border issues and increase the number of border crossing points between the two countries from 15 to 30. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov announced the move on July 30 during talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who is in Kyrgyzstan on a state visit.
Japarov said relations between the two countries are going through "one of the best periods in their history."
He noted that the political will of both leaders had made it possible to complete the delimitation of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek state border, calling it "a truly historic achievement."
"I'm pleased to note that today we will sign treaties that will fully resolve border issues and increase the number of crossing points along the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border from 15 to 30. In doing so, we have fulfilled a long-held dream of residents in the border regions," Japarov said.
He said the expanded network of crossing points would make it easier for people living near the border to visit one another, maintain family and community ties, do business, study, and travel for leisure.
"What's more, the smooth operation of these crossing points will boost our countries' transit and transport-logistics potential. Our task now is to ensure that our shared border becomes a unifying space for trust, trade, communication, and joint sustainable development," the Kyrgyz president said.
He also announced a decision to open a Kyrgyz consulate-general in Andijan, which he said would create more favorable conditions for travel between the two countries and support the development of trade, tourism, cultural and humanitarian ties, and the border regions more broadly.
One of the key outcomes of the visit was the signing of a Treaty on Allied Ties between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
"This is a political commitment to strengthen security together, grow our economies, support one another on the international stage, and build a worthy future for our peoples," Japarov said.
He stressed that the alliance between the two countries is aimed at peace, development, good-neighborliness, and the well-being of future generations.
To carry out this new agenda, the two sides will establish a Supreme Interstate Council. According to Japarov, the council will oversee the implementation of agreements reached and set long-term priorities for Kyrgyz-Uzbek relations.
Japarov named the Kambarata-1 hydropower plant and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway projects as strategic joint projects between the two countries.
Ahead of the visit, the two sides held the 12th session of their joint intergovernmental commission, a Kyrgyz-Uzbek business forum, and a regular meeting of their Business Council. According to Japarov, these events helped identify key directions for advancing joint economic projects.
He also pointed to Uzbekistan's recent Days of Culture held in Kyrgyzstan, the presentation of the Kyrgyz-language edition of the book "New Uzbekistan: Shavkat Mirziyoyev's Path," and the third forum of university rectors from both countries.
"This shows that our cooperation is developing on every level — from government to business, cultural, expert, and academic circles," he said.
Earlier in his remarks, Japarov also praised the reforms underway in Uzbekistan and Mirziyoyev's contribution to strengthening good-neighborly relations across Central Asia, noting that Uzbekistan's GDP has doubled over the past decade as a result of these policies.
A Territorial Exchange
Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan resolved a series of territorial disputes in 2022, signing agreements on their shared border and on the joint management of water resources at the Andijan (Kempir-Abad) Reservoir.
The treaty on select sections of the state border defined a boundary line stretching 302.29 kilometers in total, covering 35 separate sections of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border.
Under the agreements reached, Uzbekistan received 4,957 hectares of territory around the Andijan Reservoir, along with an additional 19.5 hectares for dam maintenance and security purposes. In exchange, Kyrgyzstan received 1,019 hectares of pastureland as compensation.
Kyrgyzstan also received 12,849 hectares in the Govasay area as compensation for the never-built Kempir-Abad canal on the left bank of the Andijan Reservoir.
The Andijan Reservoir was built in 1983. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, it became a source of territorial dispute between the two countries, and periodic conflicts — including over water resources — have flared along the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border since.
In June of this year, it was reported that the villages of Chongara and Tash-Tobo, previously part of Uzbekistan's Fergana region, were transferred to Kyrgyzstan as part of the border demarcation process. In exchange, the Kyrgyz side handed over land plots of equal area to Uzbekistan in the border zone. Around 2,500 people live in the two villages.
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