AUKA-PACS Talks / SOSE 2023 / Kyrgyz-Tajik Border Dispute
Description:
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan became independent states and maintained the borders established under Stalin's rule in the 1920s. This led to significant political and socio-economic changes for both countries. However, during the process of border delineation, issues arose due to the symbolic nature of the borders drawn during Soviet times. Under the Soviet system, Kyrgyz and Tajik communities had shared access to natural resources based on state-backed property rights. The lack of clarity in the border lines after 1991 has since then resulted in interethnic tensions, violent outbreaks, and ongoing disputes between the two countries over access to resources such as water for irrigation and pasture land.
Guest lecturers from the American University of Central Asia will give a lecture and a workshop. The lecture will provide an overview on the conflict with a particular focus on its impact on the Kyrgyz society. The workshop serves to engage in a deeper discussion on possible ways for conflict resolution in the area and gives space to discuss other questions which arise from the lecture.
Register for the Workshop:
Please register for the workshop by sending an email to until 9th June, Friday.
You can prepare both events based on Kurmanalieva, Gulzana (2018): Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan: Endless Border Conflicts, Dans L'Europe en Formation (n° 385), 121-130.
