DUSHANBE, October 1, 2013, Asia-Plus – Tajikistan’s lower chamber (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament has ratified an agreement allowing some 7,000 Russian troops to stay in Tajikistan until 2042.
A regular sitting of the fifth session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the fourth convocation, presided over by its head, Shukurjon Zuhurov, was held on October 1.
Presenting the agreement, Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Khairulloyev noted that the ratification of the document was important to preserve stability and security in Tajikistan and other Central Asian states. The minister stressed that the stay of Russian military base in Tajikistan was not aimed against third countries.
Since 2005, the Russian Federation has trained 2,014 officers for the Tajik national army and provided more than 411 million USD worth of military and technical assistance to Tajikistan, Khairulloyev noted.
The document now goes for approval to the upper house (Majlisi Milli) of the parliament.
We will recall that that President Emomali Rahmon, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, signed the agreement in Dushanbe in October 2012. The accord prolongs a deal signed in 1993, which was due to expire in 2014.
Tajik parliamentarians also ratified the government-to-government agreement between Tajikistan and the Russian Federation on the order of stay of Tajik nationals in Russia, which was signed on February 8, 2013.
The agreement provides for extending the period for registration for Tajik nationals on their arrival in Russia from seven to fifteen days. The agreement is based on the memorandum of intent on easing some of the registration restrictions for Tajik migrant workers coming to Russia that was signed in Dushanbe on October 5, 2012.
