Associated Press
September 9

The presidents of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on Monday reached agreement on which countries have control over three ethnic Kazakh villages that lie within a previously undefined section of their border.

The villagers had been so frustrated by uncertainty over their nationality that hundreds had rallied in January to declare their tiny region an independent country.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Uzbekistani President Islam Karimov, at a meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana, signed an agreement defining that section of the border, which had been in dispute since the the countries signed an agreement defining the rest of their border a year ago.

Under the agreement, the villages of Arnasai and Bagys become part of Kazakhstan and the village of Turkestan will be in Uzbekistan.

Nazarbayev said that with the agreement, "no undecided questions remain."

The presidents also signed an agreement declaring their intention to strengthen friendship between their countries, including measures to preserve and develop Uzbek culture and language in Kazakhstan and vice versa.

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