Kyrgyz, Uzbek authorities still working on visa-free travel arrangement

Daniel Sershen 11/29/06

Almost two months after Kyrgyz and Uzbek leaders announced the lifting of visa requirements for travel between the two nations, officials in Bishkek and Tashkent have yet to finalize the details of a formal agreement.

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced the visa-free travel arrangement during his early October summit with Uzbek leader Islam Karimov. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Many Kyrgyz and Uzbeks have applauded the intention to ease cross-border movements, but local experts believe the two states need a more comprehensive framework for managing the population flow, especially in the Ferghana Valley, where there are dozens of unofficial crossing points.

The visa-free regime, if implemented, would have "great significance for the region," said Adylbek Ismailov, Executive Director of the NGO Ferghana Valley Lawyers Without Borders. The group recently published a report calling for a range of improvements in the region's border policies.

"This agreement will certainly lower illegal migration," Ismailov said. But he emphasized that the present visa requirement is only one of several reasons people use unofficial crossings. Many are shuttle traders wanting to evade payment of customs duties, and others are local residents seeking to avoid a time-consuming trip to a faraway border crossing. The new regulations would have little impact on their actions, Ismailov said.

Askhat Ryskulov, head of the Passport and Visa Section of the Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said it was "possible" that some people prefer to pay a small fee at a local, unofficial crossing to skip a lengthy trip to the nearest border post. "It is doubtful that this [agreement] will solve that problem," he said.

The Ferghana Valley is split between Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Frontiers that had little meaning during the Soviet era now leave families and friends on different sides of an international border, and many residents must cross regularly to work, trade, or see relatives. The three states, some of the former Soviet Union's poorest, face a dilemma: they are unable to properly police the border, but neither can they fund an adequate number of official crossings. This has led to a proliferation of illegal border points since independence, often with the tacit approval of local authorities.

Gray market trade with Kyrgyzstan is an especially critical means of survival for many Uzbeks, given that the Uzbek government exerts heavy control over imports. The massive bazaar in the southern Kyrgyz town of Kara-Suu – estimated by Ismailov's group to cover over 37 acres and employ some 15,000 people – is a major destination for Uzbek merchants.

Suratash is one of several illegal crossings dedicated to the Kara-Suu trade. The village's residents have built an access road, set up a concrete barrier, and even outfitted a few local men with fatigues. They gather 100 Uzbek soms, or a little less than 10 US cents, from each person wishing to cross, money that they say goes towards various municipal projects and charities.

At the crossing, minibuses and taxis wait to whisk shoppers directly to Kara-Suu's bustling market. So oriented towards commerce are Suratash's cab drivers that it is difficult to find a car back to Osh, the main city in the region, despite the fact that it is less than 10 kilometers away. Trips to Kara-Suu are far more profitable.

The vehicles return laden with consumer goods – dozens of DVD players stacked precariously on the roof racks of ancient Soviet Ladas, bolts of cloth peeking out of a stuffed Volga's trunk – most of them Chinese. Each car passes into a backyard that abuts the border, where residents assess a fee for the return trip.

Dilmurat Umarov, the villager overseeing the collection of funds from the steady stream of pedestrians one recent morning, was confident that any visa agreement between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan would hardly affect Suratash's livelihood. But as he watched Uzbek border troops appear and begin closing off the crossing for the day, Umarov acknowledged that Suratash is subject to the whim of the authorities on both sides.

"If it weren't for the border, we'd all starve," he said. "If they close us, we'll be starving like before."

Editor's Note: Daniel Sershen is a freelance journalist based in Bishkek.

Posted November 29, 2006 © Eurasianet