ASTANA – Kyrgyzstan has asked Kazakhstan to deal with an 800-metre stretch of the border between the two countries in the Chu region, zakon.kz said on its website with reference to informburo.kz on July 20. During a bilateral meeting with Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Karim Massimov, Kyrgyzstan’s Prime Minister Temir Sariyev offered an agreement to find a solution to managing this short stretch of the state border that runs by the Chu region.
“We have a road that crosses the border of Kazakhstan when going to Issyk Kul Lake from Bishkek and the motorway crosses the border [back] after 800 metres again. We propose to adopt a separate agreement on the use of this border area by Kyrgyzstan,” Sariyev said. He noted that the Kyrgyz side will be maintaining that part of the road in case of a signed agreement while also mentioning Kyrgyzstan’s entry to the Eurasian Economic Union in the near future, the website reported.
The 800-metre road near the town of Tokmok, of the Bishkek-Naryn-Torugart motorway leading to Issyk Kul, transits through the territory of Kazakhstan.
The prime ministers of both countries agreed to build a bypass channel along the Chu River. Sariyev said 60 percent of the volume from the 500-million-cubic-metre Orto-Tokoi Reservoir goes to Kazakhstan, according to Kyrgyz news sources.
Massimov, during his July 19 meeting with Sariyev, suggested quickening construction of the approximately 250-kilometre Almaty – Cholpon-Ata highway, Kazakh news agencies report.
