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Uzbekistan, Tajikistan to introduce visa-free regime soon

12 January 2018 14:14 (UTC+04:00)
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan to introduce visa-free regime soon

By Kamila Aliyeva

Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have reached agreements on visa relations and the most controversial section of the state border.

One of the main disputable sections of the border was Farhad Dam, located on the territory of Tajikistan, built in the 1940s.

In the near future Uzbekistan and Tajikistan will sign a new document “On mutual trips of citizens”, according to which citizens of the two states will be able to stay in the territory of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan during one month without obtaining a visa, Tajik media reported, citing a source in the government of Tajikistan.

The parties also confirmed their intentions to open in the near future passenger trains and buses, as well as new checkpoints on the border of the two states, the source informed.

Touching upon the issues of the border, the parties agreed that the territory on which the Farhad HPP is located will be recognized as the territory of Tajikistan, while the hydropower facility itself will be recognized as the property of Uzbekistan.

The protection of the facility will be carried out by the Tajik side and its technical maintenance will be handled by Uzbekistan.

It is expected that all interstate and intergovernmental agreements on the above issues will be signed during the state visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Dushanbe, which will take place at the beginning of this spring.

The disputes between the two countries have arisen regularly for almost 25 years.

Dushanbe often accused Uzbekistan of blocking railroads and roads. In turn, Tashkent opposed the construction of the Rogun HPP in Tajikistan, which, according to the authorities of Uzbekistan, is a threat to the entire agricultural sector of the region. In 2001, first, Uzbekistan, and then Tajikistan, introduced a visa regime between the two states.

The relations began to restore in 2016. The legal base of bilateral Tajik-Uzbek relations includes 111 contracts and agreements signed at the interstate, intergovernmental and interdepartmental levels in the period from 1992 to the present.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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