A deal allowing Tajik and Iranian citizens to travel between the two nations without visas for up to 90 days per year — with the first visit limited to 30 days — will take effect on August 10, the Tajik Foreign Ministry said on August 6, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. The ministry said that in the first
Tajik Labor Minister Gulnora Hasanzoda said on August 6 that Russia had deported 17,000 Tajik citizens over the past six months, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. According to Hasanzoda, the deportations have been mostly linked to violations of Russian law. Last month, Tajik officials said some 3,400 Tajik migrant workers had been returned to Tajikistan from
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 6 August said it has approved a $21 million grant as additional financing to expand the supply of renewable energy in Tajikistan by further modernizing the Golovnaya hydropower plant. “The electricity from the Golovnaya hydropower plant goes to national and regional grids, benefiting Tajikistan and neighboring countries,” said ADB Director General
On July 30 in Tehran, the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon attended the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian. During their meeting, President Rahmon invited Masoud Pezeshkian to visit Tajikistan. Rahmon expressed confidence that Tajikistan and Iran will continue to develop mutually beneficial cooperation on the
Authorities in Russia have once again proposed sending immigrants who have received Russian citizenship to fight in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry has increased the size of payments for those who sign contracts to join Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. An article published by Radio Azattyk (RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service) reveals how Russia lures Central Asians
Kyrgyz government spokesman Nazirbek Borubaev said on July 30 that 94 percent of the 972-kilometer Kyrgyz-Tajik border had been agreed upon by officials from the two Central Asian nations, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. Borubaev added that discussions between Kyrgyz and Tajik officials on defining the remaining sections of the border will be held on August
Some 3,400 Tajik migrant workers have not been allowed to enter Russia and turned back to Tajikistan from Russian airports over the last six months, the director of the Tajik Civil Aviation Agency, Habibullo Nazarzoda, told reporters on July 24, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. According to Nazarzoda, Tajik citizens were not allowed to enter Russia
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it has approved a $50 million policy-based grant to help the Government of Tajikistan foster a climate-responsive business environment and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country. The Enabling Climate-Responsive Business Environment Improvement Program aims to transform Tajikistan’s business environment, including through digitalization, reforms to increase exports, improving infrastructure
The European Union and Tajikistan held their eleventh annual Cooperation Committee meeting on 16 July in Dushanbe. As reported by the Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan, the two sides reviewed their bilateral relations, exchanged views on the most topical political and socio-economic developments, and discussed cooperation in a vast array of areas, including water, environment, energy, trade, and
Tajikistan’s economy has shown remarkable growth in recent years, with an impressive expansion of 8.3% in 2023 and 8.2% in early 2024, according to the World Bank’s latest Tajikistan Economic Update released on July 16. According to the report, the growth was driven by increased revenues from gold exports and substantial public infrastructure spending. Robust worker remittances
Late in June, the largest delegation in the U.S.-Tajikistan Business Council’s history visited Tajikistan. During the two-day mission, over thirty representatives of U.S. medical, financial, mining equipment, franchising services, and digitalization firms met with leading Tajik businesses and government officials to identify opportunities, create partnerships, and increase trade and investment between the United States and
The Chinese Embassy in Dushanbe on July 15 denied media reports that Beijing is building a military base in Tajikistan, calling the reports “groundless,” RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. The embassy responded to a story in The Daily Telegraph showing satellite photos of buildings and what the report claimed is a shelter for helicopters in the
Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Tajikistan from July 4-6. The Chinese president held talks with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, and the two leaders signed a Joint Statement on further deepening of comprehensive strategic relations in a new phase. As reported by Xinhua, Xi said during the talks that China will firmly
Tajikistan-China relations have entered a new historical stage, opening up new prospects for extensive cooperation, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said in an interview with Xinhua on the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Tajikistan from July 4-6. According to Rahmon, this visit will inject new and strong momentum into developing and
During his visit to Tajikistan on July 2, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif held talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to discuss issues of development and expansion of relations of friendship and cooperation between Tajikistan and Pakistan, the press service of the Tajik president reported. “We consider the commercial and
China’s Foreign Ministry announced on June 30 that President Xi Jinping will attend the 24th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana and pay state visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan from July 2 to July 6, RFE/RL reported. “From July 2 to 6, President Xi Jinping will attend the 24th Meeting of the
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has expressed concern over recently adopted amendments to Tajikistan’s law on the regulation of traditions and ceremonies, saying it worsens religious freedom violations in the Central Asian state, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. The amendments, signed by President Emomali Rahmon on June 20, among other restrictions bans children’s games
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has released its Macroeconomic Outlook for its six member states. According to the report, in 2024 Armenia’s GDP is expected to grow by 7.5%, Belarus’s by 3.4%, Kazakhstan’s by 5%, Kyrgyzstan’s by 5.5%, Russia’s by 3%, and Tajikistan’s by 8%. For most EDB member countries, the outlook has been upgraded
The Tajik parliament’s upper chamber, the Majlisi Milli, approved a bill on June 19 banning “alien garments” and children’s celebrations for two major Islamic holidays — Eid al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha, known as idgardak, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. The bill, approved on May 8 by the lower chamber, the Majlisi Namoyandagon, mostly targets the hijab,
The High-level Central Asian Forum on ‘Water and Climate Change’, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with the European Union and the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan earlier this month in Dushanbe, has become a cornerstone of the 3rd High-level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable
