An official with the UN's peace-building office in Tajikistan, Valdemar Rokoszevwski, said that although Uzbekistan was not a signatory to the Ottawa Convention, it had participated in and agreed to six international conventions concerning disarmament, including one which focused on prohibiting the use of antipersonnel mines. Uzbekistan's defense minister Qodyr Pulatov has defended his country's actions. The deaths of Tajik citizens to Uzbek mine explosions has led to a burst of indignation and debate in the country, particularly among the public. It would be better to fence it with barbed wire. A local doctor, Iskandar Khalilov, was filled with indignation by reports of mine accidents.
Nothing can justify the death of innocent people.
Civilian land-mine deaths are not restricted to Tajikistan. The country's northern neighbor, Kyrgyzstan, is also now voicing its concern. Faced with the same mine problem, Kyrgyzstan has called on Uzbekistan to take the necessary steps to avoid further deaths, he said. According to a Russian news agency report, the authorities in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, called on the Uzbek government to provide maps of active mine fields on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border. The Kyrgyz demand was motivated by the need to secure civilians living in border districts in both countries, Asanaliyev said.