Madam Chair,
Canada aligns with the following statement.
The UK expresses its deepest sympathies to those who have been hurt or who lost loved ones, those communities whose homes and civilian infrastructure has been destroyed, and the thousands of people who have been displaced by the fighting.
We are closely monitoring the situation, and welcome the agreement reached by the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Tajikistan on a ceasefire, and the commitment to progress negotiations on a political settlement of the outstanding border issues. We call on all those involved to ensure that the agreement be implemented as soon as possible.
We support the efforts to de-escalate and encourage the on-going dialogue to prevent any future conflict. We ask those involved to continue to work together to allow local residents to return safely to normality as soon as possible. We welcome the establishment of a new working group to investigate the incident and continue monitoring. We urge all parties to approach dialogue in the spirit of mutual trust and to refrain from using language that could enflame tensions.
We welcome the offer made by the Chairperson-in-Office and the readiness shown by the OSCE to play a supportive role in maintaining a ceasefire and stabilising the situation in the border region; and working for long-term recovery in the interests of people on both sides of the border.
Both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are important partners for the UK, and we are keen to see a stable Central Asian region where differences are worked through peacefully. We stand ready to support these efforts.
Thank you.
