Kazakhstan says Turkmenistan has suspended visa-free travel for Kazakhs living close to the Turkmen border.
Officials from Kazakhstan's western Manghystau region said on December 21 that Turkmenistan had tightened security along the border but did not give any reasons for the move.
Residents of Kazakhstan's Manghystau region are normally allowed to visit Turkmenistan's Balkan region without a visa for a period of five days.
Turkmenistan has temporarily closed the Turkmen-Kazakh border at least three times since July.
A closure on October 27 was the only time the measure was explained, as Turkmenistan held celebrations marking Independence Day.
In the other cases, unspecified security reasons were cited.