The Tajik Foreign Ministry on April 6 rejected a statement by the director of Russia’s Security Council that Ukraine has recruited mercenaries in Tajikistan, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. Nikolai Patrushev earlier last week accused officials of the Ukrainian Embassy in Dushanbe of recruiting mercenaries to participate in military operations, including against Russia. He made the
Russia is deporting hundreds of foreigners for immigration violations in the wake of the deadliest terrorist attack in nearly two decades. Meanwhile, many Tajik migrant workers are leaving the country on their own accord, fearing an increase in xenophobia, RFE/RL reported. Russian law enforcement has carried out sweeping checks of immigrants in the country after
Kyrgyzstan has called on its citizens not to travel to Russia, where Central Asian migrant workers and visitors are facing enormous pressure following last week’s deadly attack near Moscow that left 139 people dead, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported. Russian officials said earlier that 11 suspects, including four men who allegedly attacked the Crocus City Hall entertainment center,
The Governments of the United States, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan joined private sector representatives in the inaugural B5+1 Forum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from March 13-15. Announced by President Biden during the inaugural C5+1 Summit in September 2023 and highlighted in the corresponding New York Declaration, the B5+1 is the private-sector-led counterpart
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has contributed US$7 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to bolster assistance for vulnerable households facing rising food insecurity in Tajikistan, the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan said on March 12. The funding will enable WFP to support vulnerable communities to better meet their food
The U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan, Manuel Micaller, called on Tajik authorities on March 11 — the Day of Press in the Central Asian nation — “to support the rights of journalists and to respect their freedom of expression,” stressing that “an independent press is a key element of building democracy.” The ambassador said that free, independent media
The World Bank and the IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, on March 1 organized the first Conference on Elevating Global Access through E-Commerce (E-GATE) in Tajikistan. In Central Asia, e-commerce is emerging as a powerful tool to tap into global markets for locally made products, modernize traditional supply chains, and foster
In a significant move to bolster regional collaboration, representatives from Central Asian nations convened at a workshop in Almaty on March 1 to forge a roadmap and action plan for a proposed second phase of the World Bank-supported Central Asia Hydrometeorology Modernization Project (CAHMP II). This gathering underscored an advancement in regional cooperation and modernization efforts in
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is providing more resources to increase the reliability and sustainability of electricity supply in Tajikistan by organising a financial facility of up to €31 million for national transmission network operator Shabaqahoi Intiqoli Barq (SIB). The facility consists of two EBRD sovereign loans totalling up to €23 million
Tajikistan’s Supreme Court has handed prison terms to three well-known public figures for writing, editing, and publishing a book that highlights some of the challenges faced by those living in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic, which the authorities ordered cleared from bookstores, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. Several sources told RFE/RL on February 23 that the court
