DUSHANBE, May 13, 2010, Asia-Plus — Factors such as our post-Communist image in the Muslim world and especially interpretation of the civil war in Tajikistan in the 1990s as the confrontation between the secular order and Islam had negatively impacted establishment of relations not only with the Organization of the Islamic Conference itself but also with its leading member nations, Tajik political scientist Hakim Abdullo Rahnamo said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
“However, the decade of chilly relations is already in the past and Tajikistan is becoming one of active members of the Organizations,” said the expert, “Over the past five-six years, development of close relations with Muslim countries has become one of priorities Tajikistan’s foreign policy. A number of speeches of President Rahmon at OIC summits and his visits to the leading member nations of this Organization have allowed us to know better the Islamic world and have become an important step to presentation of Tajikistan within the OIC area. Over this period, we have managed to establish good relations with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the Arab United Emirates, Egypt, Algeria, and Yemen. Besides, OIC’s decision to declare Dushanbe the Islamic Culture Capital for 2010 and to hold the OIC foreign ministers’ meeting in Dushanbe mean that “Islamic vector” in Tajikistan’s foreign policy have yielded positive results.”
OIC includes countries with thriving markets and huge financial opportunities; it means that this Organization may become one of the most important sources of attraction of investments for Tajikistan. “Slight improvement of our banking legislation and introduction of elements of the Islamic banking will create conditions for attraction of investment not only from the Islamic Development Bank, this will also create conditions for attraction of direct state investments from the OIC member nations and private capital from these countries,” said Rahnamo, “It is more reliable and safe source of investments.”
According to him, an active participation in work of OIC will make “Tajikistan stronger and be more positive about its internal and international positions.”
“Participation of Tajikistan in the Organization of the Islamic Conference is a positive and perspective vector of the country’s foreign policy,” said the expert, “It is more than foreign policy, it is our national interest, it is one of the most important factors for our self-preservation under the conditions of relentless and unifying globalization.”
