The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic considers it necessary to state that it regards the events that took place on September 14-17, 2022 on its sovereign territory as a pre-planned armed act of aggression of the Republic of Tajikistan against our state.

 As a result of the inhuman actions of the Tajik side, as of September 18, 2022, 46 citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic were killed and 140 were injured.  About 140 thousand people were subjected to forced evacuation.  Enormous material damage has been caused.

 We believe that the unfounded accusations by the Tajik side of committing an “act of armed aggression against the Republic of Tajikistan” are an insignificant attempt to shift responsibility and blame onto the Kyrgyz Republic.  The Tajik side launched a widespread disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the defensive actions of the Kyrgyz Republic.

 We responsibly declare that the information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other competent authorities of the Republic of Tajikistan does not correspond to reality.  The Kyrgyz side has all the evidence (photo and video materials) that recorded the beginning of the aggression, as well as all the atrocities and crimes committed by the Tajik military on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic.  If necessary, the Kyrgyz side is ready to provide this evidence.

 The Republic of Tajikistan grossly violated fundamental international principles such as territorial integrity, inviolability of state borders, peaceful resolution of international disputes, non-use of force and threat of force, as well as respect for human rights and freedoms, enshrined in the UN Charter and other international documents.

 The Kyrgyz Republic acted exclusively from a defensive position, not having the goal of seizing foreign territory, unlike the Tajik side, which treacherously encroached on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Kyrgyzstan, which once again confirms the existence of territorial claims of Tajikistan.

 The Kyrgyz side demands from the Tajik side to abandon the unpromising plans of encroachment on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic and the pursued goals of escalating the situation in the border area.

 We declare a strong protest against the illegal and destructive actions of the Republic of Tajikistan, which, violating all previously reached agreements, having pulled troops to the border of Kyrgyzstan in advance, using armed forces and heavy military equipment, unreasonably attacked border and civilian facilities, settlements along the entire perimeter of the Kyrgyz-Tajik State border in  Batken and Leilek districts of the Batken region of the Kyrgyz Republic, including shelling of the regional center of the Batken region, the city of Batken, deep in the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic (there are recorded video materials).

 We note that, despite repeated ceasefire agreements, the Tajik side continued its provocative shelling and seized certain settlements in the Batken region of the Kyrgyz Republic such as Dostuk, Aksai, International, Zhashtyk, Borborduk, Arka, Kulundu.

 The illegal actions of the Tajik side are an aggressive and destabilizing action that runs counter to bilateral and multilateral agreements, the spirit of good neighborliness and mutual support between the peoples of our countries.

 The active participation of irregular paramilitary formations on the Tajik side is of extreme concern.

 The actions of the Tajik side can lead to the unleashing of a large-scale interstate conflict, as well as to the destabilization of the situation in the Central Asian region as a whole.  Moreover, the situation provoked by the Tajik side has already led to losses among the civilian population, military personnel, serious damage to military and civilian infrastructure, health and property of local residents.

 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic reaffirms its unchanged position on the need to resolve disputes between the two countries exclusively by peaceful means and political and diplomatic methods at the negotiating table.