Central Asia: 'May 09

Recurring tensions sparked by border incidents of various kinds are a feature of relations between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. At times, media reporting hypes up the dispute, prolonging and potentially aggravating it.

When Uzbek police raided Kyrgyz homes close to the border in late April, the outcry in Kyrgyzstan was inevitable. Media reports led on a protest note from the Kyrgyz foreign ministry, but they missed a crucial point – whatever the rights and wrongs of the police’s motives and behaviour, technically, the village where the action took place lies squarely within Uzbekistan.

An IWPR article, Kyrgyz-Uzbek Border Incident Sparks Political Row, published on May 15, questioned the common assumption that Uzbek forces had not only treated residents unfairly, but had crossed a national boundary to do so.

Administratively, there are really two settlements called Chek, one in each country. Eyewitness accounts established that the police raids took place on the Uzbek side of the river, albeit in an area where most residents are nationals of Kyrgyzstan. For years, there was no formal demarcation of this part of the border and nothing to mark the dividing line, so people assumed that these homes lay within Kyrgyzstan.

Thus, the Uzbek police raid was seen as an attempt to lay claim to a slice of the neighbouring state, which if true would have been highly provocative given the volatile state of relations along the border.

“It was this article, not the foreign ministry, that stated that the village of Chek is not disputed territory, but divided by the state frontier, and that the [document] check took place in Uzbekistan,” said Emir Kulov, a political analyst from Kyrgyzstan.

He noted that the piece blended carefully-checked information, opinion gathered from various sides, and first-hand accounts from eyewitnesses so that the facts of the case fitted into a “logical chain”.

Key to the article was an interview with Salamat Alamanov, who heads the government’s regional affairs department, who – unlike some other officials – made it absolutely clear that the Kyrgyz nationals involved were in fact living within Uzbekistan.

The importance of this point was confirmed when Alamanov was invited to brief the Kyrgyz parliament as it prepared to draft a strongly-worded statement expressing outrage at the actions of the Uzbek police. His remarks had a calming effect, so that the final document was much more measured.

“Covering problems in border areas and delimitation and demarcation questions requires a sensitive and diplomatic approach, since these matters involve both Kyrgyzstan and its neighbours,” said Elmira Nogoybaeva, head of the Kyrgyz think tank Polis Asia. “At times like these, coverage needs to be sensitive and at the same time objective and informative.”

Nogoybaeva said the article was even-handed in its approach to the political row. “I liked the fact that the article reflected not only Kyrgyzstan’ view but also the opinion of Uzbekistan, as well as that of ordinary residents,” she said.

Aida Kasymalieva IWPR editor for Kyrgyzstan and Kazakstan.