Sadyr Japarov. Photo: sputnik.kg
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has dismissed as demagoguery and provocation the remarks made by Sultanbai Ayzhigitov, a member of the Jogorku Kenesh (the country’s parliament), regarding the Kyrgyz-Tajik border agreement.
During a parliamentary session on March 5, Ayzhigitov, who has experience as governor of Batken Region and in security services, criticized several aspects of the agreement. He specifically pointed to Article 12 of the treaty, which states that the agreement is perpetual and cannot be revoked. According to Ayzhigitov, this provision effectively secures Tajikistan’s long-term strategic interests.
The lawmaker argued that Tajikistan has sought a corridor to its Vorukh enclave since Soviet times, aiming to fully integrate the area into its territory. Now, he contended, Tajikistan has obtained a transport corridor, leaving just one step before Vorukh’s complete annexation.
Ayzhigitov also voiced concerns over the transfer of the village of Dostuk, which he believes holds strategic importance for Kyrgyzstan. He proposed keeping Dostuk under Kyrgyz control while negotiating a new agreement for the joint use of the Dostuk–Ak-Sai–Vorukh road.
Additionally, the MP criticized past territorial exchanges, citing an instance from 2003–2004 when Tajikistan received 104 hectares of land in return for a promise to transfer the Min-Oruk–Samarkandek road to Kyrgyzstan—a commitment that, according to Ayzhigitov, was never fulfilled.
He further opposed handing over 19,000 hectares of land around Vorukh, which he claimed Tajikistan has been illegally using since 1991.
Ayzhigitov’s remarks sparked strong backlash in parliament. Most lawmakers emphasized the importance of finalizing border demarcation, maintaining peace and stability, and urged against inflaming public sentiment before the agreement’s ratification. They argued that resolving border issues is a historic milestone that will help prevent future conflicts and promote the development of border regions.
Later that day, Ayzhigitov was expelled from his parliamentary faction for expressing what was deemed an «incorrect position» on a sensitive issue and for stirring public unrest without coordinating his statements on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.
President Japarov, for his part, expressed bewilderment at Ayzhigitov’s speech and asserted that the border issue had been definitively settled.
Japarov noted that, as a native of Batken Region and a former governor, Ayzhigitov is well aware of the details but is distorting facts. The president accused him of misrepresenting the land exchanges, implying that Kyrgyzstan had ceded more land than it should have. He also dismissed Ayzhigitov’s assertion that Dostuk serves as the “gateway” to Vorukh, clarifying that the actual gateway is the village of Ak-Sai.
«Neither side pursued strategic goals in the land exchanges. We only swapped lands that were constant sources of conflict—because they were enclaves, arranged in a checkerboard pattern, or directly bordering our villages. We received their villages as well,» Japarov explained.
He also rejected the criticism of the agreement’s perpetual nature as illogical. «By that logic, should we debate land claims every year, fight, and shoot at each other?» the president asked.
«The border issue is settled permanently. That’s it—period. The interests of both sides have been taken into account. There’s still much to say about the border, but now is not the time. Let’s finalize everything first—history will judge us. And I am confident that history will give us an 'excellent' rating,» Japarov concluded.
