Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan relations refers to the bilateral diplomatic relations between

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

and

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

. Both countries were a part of the Soviet Union. Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan relations have been tense in recent years.Martha Brill Olcott. "Central Asian Neighbors"
''Kyrgyzstan: a country study''
(Glenn E. Curtis, editor).

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Federal Research Division The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress. The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unite ...

(March 1996). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.'' The two countries fought in border clashes in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

and

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

. Refugees and antigovernment fighters in Tajikistan have crossed into Kyrgyzstan several times, even taking hostages.

Historical relations

Kyrgyzstan attempted to assist in brokering an agreement between contesting Tajik forces in October 1992 but without success.

Askar Akayev Askar Akayevich Akayev (, ; born 10 November 1944) is a Kyrgyz former politician who served as President of Kyrgyzstan from 1990 until being overthrown in the March 2005 Tulip Revolution. Education and early career Akayev was born in Kyzyl-B ...

later joined presidents

Islam Karimov Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov (30 January 1938 – 2 September 2016) was an Uzbek politician who served as the first president of Uzbekistan, from the country's independence in 1991 until his death in 2016. He was the last First Secretary of the ...

and

Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev (born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakhstani politician who served as the first president of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019. He also held the special title of Elbasy from 2010 to 2022 and chairman of the Security Council of ...

in sending a joint intervention force to support Tajikistan's president

Emomali Rahmon Emomali Rahmon ( ; born 5 October 1952), born Emomali Sharipovich Rahmanov, is a Tajik politician who has served as the President of Tajikistan since 1994, having previously led the country as Chairman of the Supreme Assembly (Tajikistan), Su ...

against insurgents, but the Kyrgyzstani parliament delayed the mission of its small contingent for several months until late spring 1993. In mid-1995, Kyrgyzstani forces had the responsibility of sealing a small portion of the Tajikistan border near Panj from Tajik rebel forces. The greater risk to Kyrgyzstan from Tajikistan is the general destabilization that the protracted civil war has brought to the region. In particular, the Khorog-Osh road, the so-called "highway above the clouds", has become a major conduit of

contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") is any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It comprises goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the leg ...

of all sorts, including weapons and drugs. A meeting of the heads of the state security agencies of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

, and

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

, held in Osh in the spring of 1995, also drew the conclusion that ethnic, social, and economic conditions in Osh were increasingly similar to those in Tajikistan in the late 1980s, thus recognizing the contagion of Tajikistan's instability.

Military relations

Beginning on April 28, 2021, a border clash between the two countries broke out, resulting in the death of more than 40 people and displacing 30,000 on the Kyrgyz side. Border clashes erupted again in September 14, 2022, causing at least 94 deaths. In March 2025, the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border agreement was declared a success after years of negotiations, with both sides reaching compromises on territorial boundaries, water resources, and infrastructure projects. The agreement was approved by Kyrgyzstan's parliament and has garnered broad support for its role in promoting regional stability and peace, despite some domestic opposition.

Political relations

On 21 February 2025, the head of the Kyrgyzstan SCNS Kamchybek Tashiev and the head of Tajikistan SCNS Saimumin Yatimov signed an agreement on the delimitation of the state borders, resolving a decades-old dispute. On 31 March 2025, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, alongside

, signed the Treaty on the Junction Point of State Borders and the Khujand Declaration on Eternal Friendship during a trilateral summit in Khujand, Tajikistan. The agreements reaffirmed mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, aiming to strengthen regional cooperation and trust. The summit marked a symbolic shift in Kyrgyz–Tajik relations, particularly after years of border tensions, with the unveiling of a stele at the tri-border junction representing a new era of dialogue and good neighborliness.

Cultural relations

On 24 February 2025, the Central Asian Football Association announced a historic bid between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to bring the

Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior list of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the contin ...

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

for the first time.

Economic relations

The two countries also inaugurated the 500 kV Datka–Sughd transmission line, connecting Kyrgyzstan’s Datka substation with Tajikistan’s Sughd substation. This 485-kilometer line is a major step toward exporting surplus summer electricity to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The CASA-1000 project, launched with support from international financial institutions and valued at over $1.2 billion, is expected to be fully operational by 2027, with the Kyrgyz and Tajik portions completed by 2025. Once online, it aims to deliver up to 5 billion kWh annually, generating significant revenue and deepening regional energy cooperation.

Presidential visits

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Relations

Bilateral relations of Tajikistan