A meeting of the joint working commission of the two countries was held on July 24 in Kadamdzhai district. The parties discussed the civil status of residents of the transferred territories, resettlement issues, property rights, economic activities and other organizational matters.

On August 3, a joint working group began operating directly in the two villages. Officials are registering residents and explaining the procedures for obtaining the necessary documents.

The Kyrgyz side is headed by Baktybek Toksonbaev, First Deputy Presidential Representative in Batken region, while the Uzbek side is led by Bekhzod Sayfullayev, Deputy Head of the Migration and Personalization Department of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The majority of residents of Chon-Gara and Tash-Dobo are ethnic Kyrgyz. According to preliminary data, the combined population of the two villages is about 2,500 people.

Once the registration process is completed, the procedure for granting Kyrgyz citizenship to residents will begin in accordance with national legislation.

In exchange for the two villages, Kyrgyzstan will transfer to Uzbekistan a state border land plot of equivalent size.