Tajikistan says conflict on border with Kyrgyzstan is provocation

AKIPRESS.COM - The border authorities of Tajikistan said that a conflict happened on border with Kyrgyzstan on Monday is provocation amid the meeting of the two presidents in the Tajik city of Isfara, TASS reported.
"The incident amid the high-level meeting of presidents in Isfara implies that some interested people from the Kyrgyz side do not want peace on the border line and are making provocations," the statement reads.
According to the border service of Tajikistan, residents of Vorukh village on July 22 were preparing for a working visit of president of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon to Isfara and his meeting with Kyrgyz president Sooronbai Jeenbekov and set up a flagpole of Tajikistan on the territory of Vorukh settlement.
According to preliminary reports, on July 22 at around 5.00 pm natives of the Tajik village decided to put up a flagpole in Tort area of the Aksai-Vorukh road. This way the villagers were preparing for arrival of the head of state.
The flagpole was put up in the disputed border area causing discontent among citizens of Kyrgyzstan. Then Tajik citizens moved the flagpole 2 meters away on the territory of Tajikistan.
Then citizens of Kyrgyzstan put up a sign Aksai in Dacha area, but Tajik citizens demolished it. That led to the conflict, when citizens of two countries began hurling stones on each other. Around 40 citizens of Kyrgyzstan and near 50 citizens of Tajikistan were involved.
The Tajik border authorities are claiming that natives of the Kyrgyz village of Aksai used firearms, as a result of which a citizen of Tajikistan died. Three others were wounded, 7 received serious traumas as a result of stone throwing, they said.
The statement also says that the Kyrgyz citizens "embraced the moment" and illegally closed the Isfara-Vorukh road.
To date, official representatives of the border services of the two countries arrived at the site to resolve the situation.