Resolving Borders in Central Asia

January 13th, 2025

Ty Tan

At the intersection of Central Asia sits a border dispute that has kept 3 of its nations from true alignment. At the border between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan sits the Fergana Valley, a region of disputed territory in which the borders between them remain ambiguous. Since the Central Asian nations gained independence from the Soviets in 1991, tensions and conflicts have been occurring over poorly drawn Soviet borders from 1924 to 1936. A blatant disregard for ethnic, economic, and geographic realities meant that chronic conflict was perpetuated in a desperate fight for access to resources in the region. The most notable contemporary example was the 2010 South Kyrgyzstan Massacre, where riots and gun violence along the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border culminated in the death of more than 400, and the burning of nearly 3,000 homes in the cities of Osh, Jalalabad, and Bazar-Korgan. Now, while their neighbor to their north, Kazakhstan, resolved their border disputes in the region back in 2010, the other three still have complex, unresolved border disputes. Yet this evolving situation may soon see a breakthrough.

As of January 8th, the leaders of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan plan to hold a trilateral meeting to discuss their longstanding border dispute. Before this, one of the only major breakthroughs was in 2017, when nearly 1,170 out of 1,280 kilometers of the common border was resolved between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, with the remaining five ethnic enclaves remaining especially challenging to resolve. Alongside this, other negotiations conducted in December 2024 between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan created a draft border description, opening the door to expanded negotiations with Uzbekistan. At this historic meeting, the aim of the three nations was focused on border demarcation, with a wider goal of expanding economic cooperation.

Stone economic cooperation has long been just out of reach for these Central Asian nations. With the Fergana Valley, their region of conflict, being at the center of their agricultural productivity, having total access to it would give the nation that controls total agricultural security. Yet, in the latest rounds of negotiations, the resolution of border disputes emphasizes strengthening cooperation in trade, water-energy, logistics, and cultural-humanitarian ties. Furthermore, these negotiations seek to clearly establish the boundaries of the Fergana Valley, a task long forgotten.

The settlement of the border disputes will encourage cross-border trade to flourish in the region. In beginning this process, Central Asian nations are also discovering their potential for e-commerce. With a sizable poor population in each of those countries, e-commerce can integrate itself into existing industries, like textiles, agriculture, and tourism, and use the mechanics of production, marketing, and distribution to offer a multitude of jobs for participation by the poor.

As Central Asia seeks to find its place in the world, a setting of disputes is finally opening the doors to economic cooperation and a new path forward for the entire region.