UNIPATH STAFF
Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan held a summit in Tashkent that climaxed with both countries agreeing to demarcate their 2,330-kilometer border.
“The agreement fully completes the international legal registration of the state border of Kazakhstan on its southern borders,” President Tokayev said.
The neighbors began negotiations on border delineation in 2003. Peaceful demarcation of the Uzbek-Kazakh border is an important milestone given that unresolved border demarcation in Central Asia, a holdover from the days of the Soviet Union, has led to tensions.
In addition to the border agreement, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan cooperated on a treaty on allied relations. President Mirziyoyev stressed that the treaty on allied relations represented the highest level of interstate cooperation. President Tokayev agreed.
“I think this will not be an exaggeration if we call the treaty a historically significant document,” he said. “This breakthrough document opens up new horizons for us and fully reflects the mutual desire of the two countries for deeper partnership.”
The summit also included the conclusion of 15 more agreements, including those on environmental protection, higher and postgraduate education, cross-border travel, development of electronic commerce, deepening cooperation between a number of regions of the two countries, and creation of the Central Asia International Center for Industrial Cooperation.
Both parties agreed to further develop transportation infrastructure connecting their countries. They are already strong economic partners: Trade and investment between the two countries is estimated at $8 billion annually.
Sources: Gazeta.uz, Tengrinews.kz