[Today's Prayer] Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Reach Border Agreement...Imminent End to Conflict

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, former constituent republics of the Soviet Union, are on the verge of ending a border dispute that has lasted for over 30 years since their independence.

According to AFP news agency on the 28th, the governments of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan reached an agreement in December last year to demarcate their borders and are now proceeding with follow-up procedures for treaty ratification, including parliamentary approval.

(Omitted)

The two countries have agreed to resolve their border issues by exchanging some territories, and to share major roads in the border areas as neutral zones. They have also reached an agreement on access rights to various resources, including water and oil.

Chairman Tashiyev stated that once the treaty is signed, they plan to relocate residents from both countries and rebuild some villages after demolishing them.

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have been in conflict over border issues since gaining independence following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The border between the two countries spans 970 kilometers, but some sections have not been clearly demarcated.

This has led to ongoing disputes in the border areas over the allocation of water resources for agricultural use, and even to armed clashes.

In September 2022, nearly 100 people were killed in a clash between border guards from both sides in the border region of southwestern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan, involving heavy weapons such as mortars.

Source: Yonhap News

13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)

We hear the welcome news that the 30-year-long border negotiations between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which gained independence after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, are nearing a conclusion.

Lord, thank you for initiating the news of harmony between the two nations, breaking away from the pain of past armed conflicts and numerous casualties due to the unclear border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

May the follow-up procedures for treaty ratification proceed smoothly, and may the relocation of residents and the reconstruction of villages also be carried out without incident, so that this intergovernmental agreement can serve as a stepping stone for the churches of Central Asia to unite.

Help us to be alert in all situations and to pray for the unity of the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan authorities and churches, and may the hatred that they have aimed at each other due to the long conflict be covered with the love of Christ.

May all the walls of communication that have blocked Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan be broken down, and may they unite in the love of Jesus Christ and rise up towards Central Asia and the nations.

Thus, may Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan rise together in love, bear the revival of Central Asia and the nations, and become nations that prepare for the second coming of the Lord.