Tajikistan’s state-run news agency Khovar, citing the Foreign Ministry of Tajikistan, reported on January 14 that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will arrive in Tajikistan for a state visit on January 15.
As part of the visit, high-level meetings and negotiations will take place between Tajikistan and Iran. The parties are expected to discuss a wide range of issues related to bilateral cooperation, culminating in the signing of several bilateral cooperation agreements.
The visit's program reportedly also includes a Tajikistan-Iran trade, investment, and tourism forum.
According to the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), a large delegation of Iranian businesspeople, led by the ICCIMA president, will accompany Pezeshkian n his visit to Tajikistan. The delegation members will include representatives from Iran's industrial, mining, and agrarian sectors. The program features a business forum, B2B meetings with Tajik companies and officials, and visits to industrial and commercial facilities in Tajikistan.
Additionally, the visit includes a scientific seminar and a poetry evening featuring Iranian and Tajik scholars, poets, and cultural figures. These events will be organized in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences and the Tajik Writers’ Union. The opening of the Institute for Persian Language and Literature Studies is also planned.
While in Dushanbe, President Pezeshkian is expected to meet with Iranian expatriates residing in Tajikistan.
This will mark President Pezeshkian’s first official visit to Tajikistan. He was elected president in July 2024 following the death of his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, in a helicopter crash. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon attended Pezeshkian’s inauguration ceremony in Tehran.
During the inauguration, Pezeshkian emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation with Tajikistan, highlighting the need to reduce political barriers and enhance collaboration. The two leaders met again on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where they discussed issues of security, economics, science, and culture, as well as aid for Afghanistan.
IRNA reports that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on January 6 that the upcoming official visit of President Masoud Pezeshkian to Tajikistan is a good opportunity for further expansion of Tehran-Dushanbe relations. The Iranian foreign minister made the remarks in a meeting with Alireza Haghighian, Iran's ambassador to Tajikistan, in Tehran on Monday. Haghighian presented a report on the latest state of relations and expanding cooperation between the two countries and the plans made for the successful completion of the upcoming visit of the president. Araghchi considered President Pezeshkian's visit to Tajikistan as a great opportunity to strengthen cooperation between the two countries as much as possible and emphasized the need taking all the necessary measures to make the most of this opportunity.
Iran’s WANA reports that Iran’s Ambassador to Tajikistan Alireza Haghighian stressed the importance of the upcoming visit, stating that Tajikistan, as a friendly, culturally and linguistically connected nation, holds a significant position in Iran’s foreign policy. He highlighted that choosing Tajikistan as the destination for the President’s first bilateral official visit to the Eurasian region underscores the country’s prominence in Iran’s foreign policy.
Addressing the goals of the visit, Haghighian reportedly explained that the official state visit, initiated at President Rahmon’s invitation, aims to formalize significant agreements in various sectors, including cultural, scientific, economic, and industrial cooperation.
The ambassador detailed several key programs planned during the visit:
- A joint conference on trade, investment, and tourism, involving over 300 Iranian and Tajik economic activists and investors, aimed at enhancing economic and trade exchanges.
- A scientific seminar and poetry night organized in collaboration with the Academy of Sciences and Writers’ Association, featuring participation from Iranian and Tajik scholars, poets, and intellectuals.
- The reopening of the Persian Language and Literature Research Institute.
- A meeting of President Pezeshkian with Iranian expatriates living in Tajikistan.
Haghighian reportedly highlighted the remarkable growth in the bilateral trade between Tehran and Dushanbe, noting that the trade volume has quintupled over the past three years. He stated that ambitious plans are underway for further expansion.
He also mentioned Iran’s active role in Tajikistan’s infrastructure projects, including the implementation of major projects such as the Roghun Dam, Sangtuda-2 hydropower plant, and the Anzob (Istiqlol) Tunnel.
The ambassador reportedly also discussed the extensive collaboration in healthcare, including partnerships between Iran’s Ministry of Health and Tajikistan’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population. He noted that numerous specialized teams from Iran have been sent to Tajikistan for training purposes, and Tajik doctors, nurses, and medical trainees have traveled to Iran for education and knowledge exchange.
Haghighian emphasized that cooperation between the two nations extends beyond these fields. Key areas of collaboration include transportation and transit, vocational training, genetics and biotechnology, mining, and free trade zones, among others.
