Three Central Asian countries sign border deal

Three Central Asian countries on Monday signed a border deal on the Fergana Valley, a long-disputed region that has ignited bloody clashes, and pledged "eternal friendship".

The deal -- signed by presidents Emomali Rakhmon of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan's Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Kyrgyzstan's Sadyr Japarov -- formalised the point where their countries' borders meet in the mountainous valley.

The densely populated region has been the scene of numerous conflicts -- mainly for control of water that is running out in a region badly hit by climate change.

The trio met several days before an EU-Central Asia summit in Uzbekistan. Relations between the former Soviet republics, long strained by rivalries, have warmed recently.

Borders in Central Asia were often drawn up under the Soviet Union and never properly demarcated.

But in recent years, Central Asian countries have announced border agreements to regulate the sharing of water, facilitate trade and ensure the stability of this resource-rich region.

In the Tajik city of Khujand, the three presidents also called in similar statements for "reinforcing the cooperation between brotherly nations" -- including in energy and transport.

The Tajik and Kyrgyz leaders also inaugurated a section of a joint high-voltage line to supply Pakistan and Afghanistan with energy produced by Central Asian hydroelectric power stations.

The summit follows the signing of border treaties in mid-March between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in 2023.