Boundary quantum Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations and fusion

In this paper we extend our previous results concerning Jackson integral solutions of the boundary quantum Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations with diagonal K-operators to higher-spin representations of quantum affine $\mathfrak{sl}_2$. First we give a systematic exposition of known results on $R$-operators acting in the tensor product of evaluation representations in Verma modules over quantum $\mathfrak{sl}_2$. We develop the corresponding fusion of $K$-operators, which we use to construct diagonal $K$-operators in these representations. We construct Jackson integral solutions of the associated boundary quantum Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equations and explain how in the finite-dimensional case they can be obtained from our previous results by the fusion procedure.