Associated Press
November 8

Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev on Friday formally complained to Uzbekistan following the fatal shooting of a Kazakh man by Uzbek border guards.

In a note handed over to Uzbek Ambassador Turdykul Butayarov, the Foreign Ministry expressed concern over numerous conflicts in the border area, saying "the Kazakh-Uzbek border has not been demarcated, therefore, the use of firearms against peaceful residents of the border districts is unjustifiable."

The move follows the death a day earlier of Elmurat Baiturganov along the border in southern Kazakhstan.

A statement from the regional administration said that Baiturganov was shot while out in a field tending to his livestock.

However, the Interfax news agency reported that the shooting occurred when Uzbek border guards tried to intercept a smuggling deal between Kazakh and Uzbek citizens on Uzbek territory 100 meters away from Kazakhstan.

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