The Uzbek Foreign Ministry on Monday reported of new cases of illegal border crossing by Afghan citizens. On June 27, a group of 44 Afghan border troops and militiamen crssed the state border of Uzbekistan in the area of Shortepa district. A day earlier, on June 26, on the same section of the border, 3 officers of the security forces of the neighboring country entered the territory of Uzbekistan. All Afghan citizens have been returned to their homeland, the Foreign Ministry said.
Earlier it was reported that on last Thursday, 53 soldiers of the Afghan border troops and fighters of the local militia crossed from Afghanistan to Uzbekistan with weapons. After carrying out the procedures of inquiry and investigative actions, the Afghan citizens were returned to their homeland.
"Such attempts to illegally cross the Uzbek border will be severely suppressed," the Foreign Ministry said.
Once again expressing concern about the growing violence in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan called on the warring parties "to prevent civilian casualties and refrain from using force."
"The government of Uzbekistan firmly declares its commitment to maintaining traditionally friendly and good-neighborly relations with Afghanistan, maintaining neutrality and non-interference in the internal affairs of the neighboring country," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Earlier on the same day, Sherzod Asadov, spokesman to the President reported of new attempts to illegally cross the border of Uzbekistan by citizens of Afghanistan.
“The inviolability of the borders of Uzbekistan cannot be questioned in any way,” he said.
