Uzbekistan Transfers Two Villages to Kyrgyzstan and Proposes Land Swap to Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan has transferred two settlements to Kyrgyzstan in exchange for border lands of equivalent size, RIA Novosti reported, citing a statement by Askat Alagozov, press secretary of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.
“As part of the ongoing demarcation of the state border with the Republic of Uzbekistan, two settlements along with their residents (approximately 2,500 people), which previously belonged to Uzbekistan, have become part of the Kyrgyz Republic,” Alagozov wrote on social media.
According to him, the settlements are the villages of Chongara and Tash-Tobo, formerly located in Uzbekistan’s Fergana Region and predominantly inhabited by ethnic Kyrgyz. Registration procedures will begin in the villages, after which residents will be granted Kyrgyz citizenship.
Alagozov noted that in exchange for these settlements, Tashkent received border land plots of equivalent size.
For the construction of a road connecting the villages of Sai and Tayan, the two countries also exchanged equivalent land plots with a total area of 236 hectares. He emphasized that once the project is completed, residents of Batken Region will be able to travel from Aidarken to Batken through Sai and Tayan, reducing the journey to about 55 kilometers instead of the current 225-kilometer detour.
Alagozov also stated that Bishkek has proposed a similar exchange of equivalent border territories with Kazakhstan for the construction of a toll highway linking the capital with Kemin. According to him, the issue concerns an approximately 800-meter section near the city of Tokmok, while the total length of the future highway from Almatinskaya Street in Bishkek to Kemin could reach around 150 kilometers.
The press secretary added that such issues should not become a subject of political speculation.
