Russia to help Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan embrace peace

Following the principles of strategic partnership and alliance with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Russia is ready to assist in resolving any controversial issues between the countries by political and diplomatic methods in every possible way, official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova said, according to the ministry's website.

"We urge the parties to reach stable and long-term agreements through further negotiations that will allow normalize the situation, take effective measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents," the statement said.

It also noted that the Russian Foreign Ministry supports the decision of Bishkek and Dushanbe to set up a joint working group, whose tasks will include information work with the population as well as patrolling and monitoring the situation in the border zone.

In addition, Zakharova stressed that Russia welcomes the agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to end the conflict on the border. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry called on the countries to come to long-term agreements on normalization and prevention of clashes in the future.