Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have begun the organizational and technical procedures for the official transfer of the villages of Chon-Gara and Tash-Dobo, formerly part of Uzbekistan’s Fergana region, according to the Office of Presidential Representative in Batken region of Kyrgyzstan, 24.kg reports.

The work is being carried out under agreements on the demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Uzbek state border and the exchange of land plots.

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

Since Monday, 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 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.