Astana concerns about Bishkek's actions even after it joined the EAEU

Recently Kyrgyzstan has become the fifth full member of the Eurasian Economic Union, opening its border with Kazakhstan. At the same time, Bishkek has not closed its borders with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Huge areas of the Kyrgyz-Tajik and Kyrgyz-Uzbek borders are still non-delimited, with many disputed territories, smuggling, total criminalization, corruption and constant conflicts between the permanent residents of the borderlands of different nationalities.

The official opening ceremony of the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border with the participation of two presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev and Almazbek Atambayev had nearly failed because of another clash between Kyrgyz people and Tajiks, who live in the same district of Batken. One of the sides blocked the road to the cemetery to the other, and the second side cut off water supply in revenge. As the result of a brawl, more than ten people were injured, including with bullet shots from a hunting rifle. Several houses were burned with 'Molotov cocktails' and a car was damaged.

This time law enforcement officers failed to intervene operatively and settle the conflict in the bud. According to experts, this responsiveness was associated with the upcoming formal accession of Kyrgyzstan to the EAEU. Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Temir Sariyev had to urgently return from vacation and initiate the establishment of an interdepartmental commission, which was supposed to take proceedings and study the causes of the latest escalation. However, this commission cannot radically change the situation, because the borderline is not demarcated. From 970 km of the state border with Tajikistan, Bishkek approved only 519. The situation is similar with Uzbekistan – from 1378 km only 1054 is delimited.

 

According to experts, there are several reasons for the border issues in Central Asia not being solved for decades. Such a situation is convenient to some influential people - the holes in the borders make smuggling easier. Another reason, according to an expert on Central Asia, a political scientist, Arkady Dubnov, is that the parties do not seek compromise.

 

"In my opinion, we are dealing with several factors. Non-delimitation of the border, of course, plays its role. And I do not see the political will of Dushanbe or Bishkek to come to the table, negotiate, solve the problem and put an end to endless clashes and conflicts. Each capital is engaged in its own business. In one, [Dushanbe – VK] they are pursuing a political party, trying to send it into oblivion on the pretext of an alleged threat of Islamic extremism coming from it. In another one, [Bishkek – VK] they are preparing for parliamentary elections and, at the same time, identifying "foreign agents".

Considering the frequent cross-border conflicts, the expert does not exclude the possibility that the leaders of local ethnic communities are interested in their occurence. By heating up the conflict and then actively participating in smoothing the situation, they strengthen their position. It is necessary to bear in mind the fact that conflicts distract public attention from the serious problems that exist in both countries.

Unresolved border guard and border issues became one of the reasons for the fact that the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev gave official permission for the accession of Kyrgyzstan to the EAEU only on August 6. Customs points on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border still remain, though officially both Bishkek and Astana announced their abolition. All this indicates only one thing – that Astana still has a certain wariness in relation to Bishkek.

The problem could be solved easily if Tajikistan became the next, sixth member of the integrational economic union. However, the question of joining the EAEU remains open in Dushanbe. Recently, the Foreign Minister of this country Sirojiddin Aslov once again repeated that Dushanbe will not rush into entering the EAEU, and right now it will carefully study this issue, and the experience of countries that have already joined the alliance.