BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 4. Kyrgyzstan has
begun the formal transfer process for two villages ceded by
Uzbekistan under a bilateral border demarcation agreement.


This was reflected in a statement published by the Office of the
Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in Kyrgyzstan's Batken
Region.


According to the statement, organizational and technical
procedures related to the exchange of territories have entered the
implementation stage under agreements reached during the
demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek state border. The work follows
decisions adopted at a meeting of the two countries' joint
commission held on July 24 in Kadamjay District.


"Joint working groups have begun carrying out organizational and
technical procedures on the ground, including public outreach,
resident registration and other practical measures," the statement
said.


The process is being coordinated by First Deputy Plenipotentiary
Representative of the President in Batken Region Baktybek
Toksonbayev and Deputy Head of Uzbekistan's Migration and
Personalization Department Bekhzod Sayfullaev, the report says.







According to the press release, during the border demarcation
process, the villages of Chong-Gara and Tash-Tobe, previously part
of Uzbekistan's Fergana Region, were transferred to Kyrgyzstan. The
two settlements are home to around 2,500 people, most of whom are
ethnic Kyrgyz.


Authorities have begun registering residents, after which
procedures for granting Kyrgyz citizenship will be carried out in
accordance with national legislation. In exchange, Kyrgyzstan will
transfer an equivalent area of land to Uzbekistan under the
bilateral agreement on border delimitation and demarcation, the
report says.


Previously, several unresolved sections of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek
border complicated transport links, as well as access to
agricultural land and water resources in border areas. Kyrgyz
authorities say implementation of the border agreement is expected
to improve regional connectivity. One of the agreed land exchanges
will make it possible to build a direct road between the villages
of Sai and Tayan, reducing the distance from Aidarken to Batken
from about 225 kilometers to around 55 kilometers.