The enclaves
The Batken oblast includes a number of enclaves belonging to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, created when the borders of the republics were settled by a commission of the Soviet Union in the time of Joseph Stalin. Sometimes it is difficult to see why the border lies where it does – dividing the Ferghana valley as it does. Some people think that Stalin deliberately ordered the creation of the enclaves as part of a “divide and rule” policy – but there are also suspicions that it was a result of local politics with various personalities exercising their political influence and “trading enclaves”.
According to the Development Gateway website (http://eng.gateway.kg/batken), there are seven enclaves altogether in Kyrgyzstan – some very small, not much more than the size of a farm. Here is a list of the enclaves in the Ferghana valley according to the website, (which claims to list all the enclaves in the world): www.abo.fi/users/rpalmber/enclaves.htm
- Belonging to Kyrgyzstan: Barak, in the Fergana Valley region where Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan meet. The village is surrounded by Uzbek territory and located between the towns of Margilan and Fergana.
- Belonging to Tajikistan: There exist three Tajik exclaves, all of them located in the Fergana Valley region where Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan meet. One of them, the village of Sarvan, is surrounded by Uzbek territory, whereas the remaining two, the village of Vorukh and a small [unnamed?] settlement near the Kyrgyz railway station of Kairagach, are each surrounded by Kyrgyz territory.
- Belonging to Uzbekistan: There exist four Uzbek exclaves, all of them surrounded by Kyrgyz territory in the Fergana Valley region where Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan meet. Two of them are the towns of Sokh and Shakhimardan; the other two are the tiny territories of Chong-Kara and Dzhangail located N of Sokh and NW of Shakhimardan respectively.
However … the situation is not quite as clear as this list suggests (… even with the two annotations which raise questions anout the names of the enclaves)
The largest enclave is Sokh, (with 325 sq. km), which belongs to Uzbekistan. Although the Sokh enclave is Uzbek territory, its population is almost totally Tajik.
The Vorukh enclave (130 sq.km) is Tajik territory and is linked to the ‘mainland’ of Tajikistan by a road that goes from the settlement of Vorukh to Chorku and Isfara (in Tajikistan and not to be confused with nearby Isfana in Kyrgyzstan, itself). Apparently “Vorukh” means “an open face” in Tajik. Both Kyrgyz som and Tajik somonican used in border bazaars, (and even dollars – however, the population of Vorukh are mostly poor people and dollars are a rarity.)
The enclave of Shahimardan is 90 sq.km of Uzbek territory and is located in a gorge in the Alai Mountains, 55 kilometres south of the Uzbek city of Fergana. It was well-known during Soviet times as a holiday destination for Uzbek and Kyrgyz party bosses, and is now a popular retreat for citizens of both countries who visit it’s mountain lakes and take in the cool mountain air and picturesque scenery. Accounts of how the region became an Uzbek enclave vary. One account has it that the territory was lost by a Kyrgyz official in a card game with an Uzbek colleague. According to Kyrgyz politicians, “No agreements were concluded” and “the documentation clearly shows it to be part of Kyrgyzstan.”, and “there was no transfer of Shakhimardan to Uzbekistan by Kyrgyzstan, either under lease or any other way.” The reaction of the Uzbeks has been to refer to a time before the state of Kyrgyzstan existed – when the land was subject to the Kokand Khanate – and whilst admitting that the Soviet authorities “made national and territorial divisions very arbitrarily”, are opposed to handing the territory over to it’s neighbour.
In addition there is Qalacha – a little to the north of Sokh, and also a part of Uzbekistan; a part of the village of Khalmion (or Khalmion-Arap) which is situated right on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border; 40 hectares of farmland close to the village of Tayan south of Sokh and “Western Qalache” next to the Kyrgyz Tajik border.
There are some disputes about the demarcation of the borders in this region and discussions are currently continuing with both of Kyrgyzstan’s neighbours.
In addition, there has been some debate on the internet about other “enclaves” – two in particular, named Chon Kara and Tashdobo, have been mentioned but no-one seems to be able to identify them. Bruno De Cordier, however, places Chon Kara between the Sokh enclave and the Uzbek border, to the West of Qalacha … he also points out that there are several places called Tashdobo in the region and thinks that this probably refers to an area at the extreme southern tip of the Sokh enclave.
The Tajik authorities have agreed to pass some land to Kyrgyzstan in order to build bypasses around the Tajik communities of Chorku and Surkh, which would reduce the distance by ten and a half kilometers, and reduce “transit” inconveniences (border, customs control and other inspections).
There have been problems between the neighbouring communities (Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek) for some time.
In 2002 discussions were started with the Uzbek authorities which the Kyrgyz side hoped would lead to the recovery of the enclaves – and in 2004, the pressure to resolve the issue intensified – and threaten to damage relationships between the two countries.
It is easy to characterize the situation as being a conflict between nomadic and settled cultures – a “Cain and Abel” scenario. It is, however, more complex. The population of Southern Kyrgyzstan has a large proportion of ethnic Uzbeks … and this has had an influence on the life and culture of the region. For some time the Kyrgyz were in a minority in Osh, the second city of their country.
In June 1990 there was a riot in a village not far from Osh, which resulted in several deaths.
The Uzbek government have acted to introduce a visa requirement for Kyrgyz citizens, restrict Kyrgyz vehicles crossing the border and established border posts. There are often reports in the media of incidents where citizens of one country have been detained, or had problems with the officials of the other.
Border controls along the Kyrgyz-Uzbek frontier dramatically increased after the events of the summer of 1999, when insurgents belonging to the radical Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) first became active in the Batken region of Kyrgyzstan. At that time Uzbek warplanes bombed targets in Kyrgyzstan and mines were placed at several places along the border – which have, unfortunately claimed several victims. Border posts were established in places where before there were none and the government in Tashkent increased border patrols. Also, Uzbek customs officials have moved to restrict cross-border trade.
Rowan Stewart in the Odessey Guide to Kyrgyzstan talking about the enclaves refers to “Island Hopping in Southern Kyrgyzstan” – and these “islands” can present a number of problems to travelers.
For example, transit through Sokh can be problematical and requires an Uzbek visa. A detour (“obyezd” in Russian) exists. However, whereas the road through the Sokh enclave itself is about 12km long, the detour is about 90km – over an army assault course, which, according to one author on the Oxiana email list who has done the journey, “should be done in a tank (and probably has been judging by the craters in the so-called road)”.
In 2004, however, plans were made to construct a 52 kilometer road to bypass the enclave – and it was announced that 22 kilometers of the new 40 kilometers were already complete. The road will not be asphalt – the cost of 1 kilometer of asphalted highway, 9 meters wide, is about USD275000 and so a more affordable option has had to be found.
The tension between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan has created many problems for those living along their common border as well and especially to those living in the enclaves.
Perhaps the most hard-hit area is the Kyrgyz enclave of Barak (population 600) which lies in the middle of Uzbek territory (about 13 kilometers across the border). The enclave’s population sometimes characterize themselves as “castaways on an island”. As well as the newly established border crossing post – at one point ditches were dug and bollards placed across the road, practically cutting it off from vehicle access, (although they have now been removed), apparently access to the enclave was restricted to residents and even family members had trouble attending events such as weddings and funerals. There has been a minibus service operating between the enclave and the nearby market in Kara Suu – but a round-trip ticket costs 24 som, which is a considerable sum in an area where a teacher’s monthly salary is only 600 som. Even then, each passenger is only allowed to have 10kg of baggage by the customs officials.
It should be noted, however, that most of these problems are limited to specific areas … tourists face few problems, especially if they are traveling as part of a tour with an established company who are responsible for the arrangements.
Bishkek