Residents of the border regions of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will now jointly use water and energy infrastructure facilities located in the border areas of the two countries. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov signed a law on March 26 ratifying the agreement with Tajikistan.
The agreement, signed by the heads of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on March 13, 2025 in Bishkek and approved by the Kyrgyz parliament, guarantees unhindered access for both countries to water management facilities, including the head dam with three gates and the head water intake structure of the Ak-Tatyr – Mastchoi canal on the transboundary river Isfara (or Ak-Suu – the Kyrgyz name for the river originating on the Ak-Suu glacier), for their joint operation.
These objects were defined as part of the delimitation of the general section of the border. This was reported by the press service of the President of Kyrgyzstan.
It should be noted that seven large irrigation canals and dozens of small ditches have been built on the Isfara River.
Previously, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan managed to agree on joint water intake management «Golovnaya», located on the same Isfara River. Speaking in parliament, the head of the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kamchybek Tashiev, explained the terms of the agreement on the water distribution facility. The parties received half of the three gates: Kyrgyzstan – one and a half hatches and Tajikistan – one and a half hatches, which is about 3–4 meters of territory. As compensation for part of the gate, Tajikistan transferred to Kyrgyzstan 500 hectares of land in the conflict section of Unzhu-Bulak in the Chon-Alai district of the Osh region, as well as 150 hectares in the Katta-Tuz section and 100 hectares at the entrance to Sulukta. Tashiev emphasized that the use of water intake and water distribution will be regulated by bilateral agreements between the relevant departments of the two countries.
The Isfara River is a source of life for 400 thousand residents of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, not counting Uzbekistan, especially those employed in agriculture. Together with the Toktogul reservoir, built in Kyrgyzstan for transboundary use, the river ensures the well-being of a significant part of the population of these countries. Water supply, especially in the context of population growth and the development of new lands in the Fergana Valley, is becoming critical. It was over land and water that the first major conflict broke out, resulting in casualties and a curfew. This was in 1989. Over the past 36 years, border conflicts have become chronic, escalating from clashes with stones and sticks to the use of heavy weapons, including artillery and aircraft. Compliance with the agreements signed by the presidents of the two countries on water division on the Isfara River becomes the key to peace and stability in Central Asia. Any disruption could threaten the delicate balance in the region.
Tajik expert Negmatullo Mirsaidov called this decision expected. «I am pleased with the position of the parliament of the neighboring state and its president, who are consistent in making decisions on border issues. I am confident that the new parliament of Tajikistan will soon ratify all the documents that the parties signed during the recent visit of the head of the Tajik state to Bishkek», Mirsaidov told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
According to him, people living on the border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, politicians and experts understand that demarcation and delimitation of borders alone, the State Border Treaty alone, taking into account the presence of many and varied problems, will not be able to completely stabilize the situation in the border area.
«There are issues of communications, both transport and irrigation, energy, exploitation of mineral deposits, use of water resources from the transboundary river basin, since they are located beyond the border line. All these issues require a comprehensive solution, otherwise it is impossible to eliminate the ground for the emergence of new conflicts», – the expert believes. «Particularly important are watershed issues. With climate change and declining water resources, especially in the small transboundary rivers Isfara and Khoja Bakirgan, which are located in the area of recent conflicts, the risk of new conflicts remains. Therefore, the introduction of an effective watershed mechanism and monitoring compliance with standards is relevant, and a ratified document acquires great significance from the point of view of preventing possible conflicts», – Mirsaidov emphasized. The expert recalled that the geography of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border area is such that not only rivers cross each other’s territory, but also irrigation communications built during the USSR period taking into account common interests are transboundary in nature, that is, many of them supply water simultaneously to both Tajik lands and Kyrgyz.
Igor Shestakov, director of the Center for Expert Initiatives «Oy Ordo», considers the Kyrgyz-Tajik agreement a potential model for resolving regional conflicts. The long-standing dispute between the two countries, which escalated after the collapse of the USSR, demonstrates the importance of water resources for regional stability. The implementation of the treaty could become an example not only for Central Asia, but also for other regions of the world.
«However, signing an agreement is only the first step. The upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan could lead to the politicization of water use and land exchange issues. The government will need to show miracles of political acrobatics to convey to the population the importance of the agreements reached. Already today, the signed agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is being hotly discussed on social networks. We need systematic explanatory work from the government and parliament», – Igor Shestakov told «Nezavisimaya Gazeta».
According to the political scientist, the agreement is also important for Uzbekistan, which plays a leading role in regional integration. «A successful solution to the Kyrgyz-Tajik issue can help strengthen Central Asian cooperation», – Shestakov believes.
Victoria Panfilova («Nezavisimaya Gazeta»)
