Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has met with his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the US-Arab-Islamic Summit.
According to the Tajik president’s official website, the two discussed state and prospects of further expansion of cooperation between their countries.
Since the death of Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov in early September last year, signs have emerged of a thaw in relations between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Relations between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have been strained for years over disputes about transportation transit routes, border security, and water resources.
Responding to the threat posed by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan started mining the border with Tajikistan in 1999. In 2001, it introduced a visa regime for Tajik citizens.
In recent years, tensions have centered on access to water resources. The Roghun dam, which at 335 meters would be the tallest in the world, is the main source of tension with Uzbekistan. If completed, the dam would produce 3,600 megawatts of power.
Meanwhile, new Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has taken steps to improve ties with neighboring countries. He has expressed interest in “resetting” relations with Tajikistan.
Earlier in April this year, Uzbekistan's national airline resumed flights from Tashkent to Dushanbe after a hiatus of some 25 years. The air communication between Dushanbe and Tashkent was cut off in 1992 at Tashkent’s initiative and the issue of resumption of the direct air communication between the two countries has been raised at meetings between state officials of the two countries more than once.
On April 20, an exhibition of Uzbekistan-made goods was held in Dushanbe and deals worth $35 million were signed by Tajik and Uzbek businesses.
In early May, Tajikistan held a five-day celebration of culture from Uzbekistan, the first such event since the two Central Asian countries gained independence in the Soviet collapse of 1991.
