On Thursday, Kyrgyzstan announced an agreement to swap disputed territories with Tajikistan, ending a long-standing border conflict that has persisted since the Soviet Union's collapse.

Since gaining independence in 1991, the two Central Asian neighbours have frequently clashed over access to water and other resources in the remote border region, sometimes resulting in deadly fights. Both countries reached a border demarcation agreement in December, but the specifics of land exchanges have not been disclosed until now.

According to Kamchybek Tashiev, head of Kyrgyzstan’s secret service, the deal grants Kyrgyzstan approximately 25 square kilometres (10 square miles) of land from Tajikistan in return for territory and improved access to shared water resources.

"Negotiations have reached the final point and can be discussed openly from today," Tashiev conveyed to the Kyrgyz parliament. "After parliamentary consideration, the presidents will sign, then ratification, and finally, the final version will be signed by the heads of two states. And a treaty will be drawn up between the two countries."

As part of the agreement, several disputed roads will be designated as neutral and made accessible to both sides, according to Tashiev. Additionally, both countries have agreed to facilitate access to oil wells.

Authorities will relocate residents from the villages involved in the land exchange, with some of these villages set to be demolished and reconstructed elsewhere, he added.

The two nations have also reached an understanding of how to improve access to a key canal that is essential for agriculture, a crucial sector for both economies.

The border dispute dates back to the Soviet era when an administrative boundary was initially drawn between the neighbouring mountainous countries.

In the autumn of 2022, the border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan escalated into the most intense fighting since the Soviet Union's collapse, resulting in numerous casualties and forcing thousands of residents from their homes in border villages.

The recent agreement comes as relations among the five former Soviet republics in Central Asia—Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan—have generally improved.

Hopes for a resolution grew after Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon held a rare discussion on border issues during a UN summit in 2023, signalling the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough.