WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th May, 2021) The US State Department offered its assistance to resolve the dispute between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan via embassy contacts in both countries, Deputy Assistant Secretary of South and Central Asian Affairs Jonathan Henick said on Monday.
"We have offered in any way we can to support a peaceful resolution to that conflict and, more importantly, we have really urged the leadership here to take responsibility and to look forward at creating the conditions so that this type of thing doesn't happen again," Henick said during a webinar at the Atlantic Council.
He added that communications go through US embassies in Bishkek and Dushanbe that are in direct touch with the leadership of both countries.
"We have been in touch with their embassies here in Washington," Henick said.
A local conflict between residents of the border regions of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on April 29 escalated into an armed confrontation between the military of the two countries. Clashes between Kyrgyz and Tajik border guards lasted more than six hours. As a result, 36 Kyrgyz citizens were killed, about 200 were injured. Tajikistan reported 19 dead and 87 injured. More than 300 buildings were destroyed.
On the same day, the sides agreed to cease fire and withdraw forces from the border, but the next day the shots were fired again. The countries reached another truce in the late afternoon of April 30. All the military was pulled back from the conflict zone.
