DUSHANBE, July 31, 2009, Asia-Pus — Russia has no claims to Tajikistan regarding the use of Russian language in the Central Asian republic, where it is recognized as the language of inter-ethnic communication, Itar-Tass reported today.
“We do not need any explanations as the status of the language is fixed in the Constitution,” Kremlin foreign policy aide Sergei Prikhodko said on Thursday.
“The use of the Russian language is in the interests of Tajikistan,” he said, adding “there are no claims” regarding the use of the Russian language in the republic.
Last week Tajik President Emomali Rahmon urged to pass a new language law that will switch state communications exclusively to the Tajik language, while at present Russian-language information is also available.
However, Prikhodko praised the Tajik president for his personal contribution to Russian language education. Programs have been launched to send Russian-language teachers to Tajikistan, to open affiliates of Russian institutes and Russian-language classes in secondary schools.
Numerous Tajiks are labor migrants in Russia, and while discussing the issue Rahmon said “the people are also the carriers of the Russian language and Tajikistan is interested in that they have a possibility to work in Russia and study the Russian language.”
Many Tajiks had to return back home from Russia after the economic crisis erupted.
