It came as an unpleasant surprise to many traders in South Kazakhstan to know that Uzbekistan tightly sealed its border with Kazakhstan just on the eve of the New Year. Until recently, thousands of residents from both sides crossed the border to make their livelihoods on the border area. It was a daily routine for impoverished Uzbeks, whose monthly salary is barely enough to buy a sack of flour, to purchase cheap foodstuffs in neighboring cities of Kazakhstan or to find a temporary employment. Official reports say that before the closure of the border, daily receipts from Uzbek traders in Kazakh bazaars made up $4 million. Good relations with Uzbekistan are critical for Kazakhstan also because that country supplies the southern regions of Kazakhstan with vitally important gas, although not so cheap for the industrially underdeveloped South - $40 per cubic meter. For Kazakhstan\'s government, however, the psychological consequences of the border closure may be more harmful than economic ones. Last year, border agreements between the two countries were finalized, which had been trumpeted around by the pro-government press as an outstanding diplomatic achievement, while numerous patriotic movements openly accused the demarcation commission of neglecting the interests of the people, arguing the loss of territory amounted to loss of national self-respect. Despite the public discontent, particularly in the South, protestations of friendship in official meetings between the leaders of the two neighbors have become increasingly louder. They have reiterated on many occasions that both sides have renounced all territorial claims which existed before the signing of the border agreement. According to official comments, decades-long territorial disputes have been settled peacefully on give-and-take basis. Uzbekistan returned a considerable portion of lands annexed in early sixties to Kazakhstan, and got some economically important regions of mixed population in return. The new territorial division created small enclaves in some areas, which now cause communication problems for local residents in regions adjacent to Uzbekistan. The most embarrassing thing is that the closure of the border coincided with the meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana of the heads of member states of the Central Asia Cooperation Organization, which brought together the leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The participants of the meeting spared no words stressing the urgent need to tighten border security and make concerted efforts in fighting drug traffics, illegal migration and terrorism. The following day Uzbekistan, giving no comments, sealed four major checkpoints on the border. Even more unfathomable for local media was the reaction of Kazakh officials to this unilateral erection of an \"iron curtain\" between the two neighbors. Deputy Prime Minister Karim Masimov, who informed parliamentarian deputies on January 22 behind the closed doors, said that it would be wise for journalists at the moment to refrain from hasty comments and remarks which could harm interstate relations. According to him Kazakh-Uzbek talks on government level are under way and \"a definite agreement\" is to be signed soon. \"Relations between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have always been very good, and will remain so in the future\" said Masimov. \"Very good\" is a slightly overstated assessment of relations in the present context. There has been a number of shooting incidents and minor skirmishes along the border even after the signing of the final agreement. According to some sources, Uzbek authorities demanded that Kazakhstan, as a precondition to reopen the border, should eliminate its marketplaces in areas close to Uzbek border. Kazakh officials bluntly rejected the demand, saying that Kazakhstan brooks no interference in its internal trade affairs. Kazakh Interior Minister Ivan Otto said to journalists that the closure of the border could be interpreted as a part of Uzbek efforts to hold back the stream of traders rushing to Kazakh markets. \"Uzbek authorities are even deliberately spreading rumors about poisoned vodka and a mumps epidemic in Kazakh markets\". One thing both sides admit is that the cross-border trade must be conducted in legal ways and that a solution must be found to normalize relations. A popular variety show in Kazakhstan lightheartedly ridicules the Uzbek acquisitive mentality. Asked, how much he would charge for a sack of Namangan apples, an Uzbek trader smiles cunningly: \"Not much. A piece of land will do.\" Still, the present development of events along the border is not a laughing matter.