Two villages located on border with Uzbekistan officially became part of Kazakhstan

AKIPRESS.COM - The lands of Bagys and Khiyobon settlements on the Kazakh-Uzbek border officially joined the territory of Turkestan region, Kazakhstan.
Related government decree was posted on the website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan on May 25.
According to the government decree, the total area of Bagis and Khiyobon villages is 795.62 hectares. This decision comes into force from the date of its official publication.
In connection with the annexation of the villages to Turkestan region, the boundaries of the region will also be changed, too.
Bagys village is located 150 kilometers from Shymkent. It's home to 1200 people. In 2001 the village inhabitants made a controversial statement about "the establishment of an independent republic". The villagers did not know whether they belonged to Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan, and encouraged the authorities of the two countries to sit down at the negotiation table as soon as possible. In 2003 as a result, the village joined Kazakhstan, but has never been put on the map of Kazakhstan.
The Uzbek side did not disclose details of the border deal, which reportedly was reached in the early 2000s.
In March 2021, the villagers once again protested. On March 16, a special government delegation arrived in Bagys. Two weeks later, the Saryagash district akimat (governor's office) and maslikhat (council) adopted a joint resolution proposing to include Bagys in the Akzhar rural district of Saryagash district, and Khiyobon in the Kurkeles rural district of Saryagash district. The region authorities adopted a similar joint resolution and submitted it to the government.