CSTO Welcomes Kyrgyz-Tajik Ceasefire In Border Dispute

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th May, 2021) The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on Tuesday welcomed the ceasefire agreed by Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan following the armed conflict on the bilateral border.

"The CSTO welcomes the agreement to end clashes on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border, the withdrawal of additional military units with military equipment, and the parties' desire to resolve contentious border issues by political and diplomatic means in a spirit of alliance and good neighborliness, which is at the core of the Organization's activities," CSTO spokesman Vladimir Zaynetdinov said in a statement.

Tensions between the two former Soviet republics over border demarcation escalated into an armed conflict on April 29. The ensued shelling left dozens of people dead and injured on both sides before a truce was declared later that day. Armed clashes, however, resumed the next day. On May 1, the two countries agreed to a complete ceasefire.