BISHKEK/OSH. Feb 12 (Interfax) - The Kyrgyz government is not considering an exchange of lands along the Kyrgyz-Tajik frontier as a solution to the exclave problem, a government worker told Interfax on Wednesday.
Bishkek is not discussing the Tajik media assumptions that Kyrgyzstan may grant a special status or hand over the motorway, which goes through the Kyrgyz territory and connects the Tajik towns of Isfara and Vorukh, in exchange for Tajikistan's consent for the construction of the Kok-Tash-Tamdyk bypass (to connect Kyrgyz villages bypassing the exclave), he said.
"This road goes across the Kyrgyz territory and its construction will continue," the source emphasized.
"Kyrgyzstan is expecting Tajikistan to end the joint inquiry into the January 11 armed incident on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border and to speed up the activity of the border delimitation and demarcation commission," he said.
Meanwhile, Kyrgyz State Border Service spokesperson Gulmira Borubayeva told Interfax on Wednesday, "The situation along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border is stable and Kyrgyz and Tajik reinforcements have been withdrawn from the borderline to their permanent locations."
"Pursuant to the agreement between security services of both countries, the Kyrgyz-Tajik sector of the state border has been protected by regular units of national border services since February 7, 2014," she said.
A shootout between Kyrgyz and Tajik border guards occurred on January 11 in the vicinity of the Kyrgyz village of Ak-Sai and the Tajik exclave of Vorukh. Two servicemen of Tajikistan and five of Kyrgyzstan were injured.
The incident resulted from Kyrgyzstan's construction of a road bypassing the Tajik exclave. Tajikistan claims the road goes across its territory.