Deputy Prime Minister, Azim Iborhim, heading a Tajik government delegation today departed for the Uzbek capital Tashkent, to discuss an upcoming state visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a source in Tajik government told Asia-Plus Monday morning.
“The delegation is expected to discuss with Uzbek officials issues related to bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as preparations for the upcoming state visit of Uzbek leader to Tajikistan, which is scheduled for early March of this year,” the source said.
According to him, the sides will also discuss in details draft agreements that are expected to be signed in Dushanbe during Uzbek president’s visit to Tajikistan.
Recall, a number of agreements between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were reached during a visit of Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov to Dushanbe that took place on January 10.
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, in particular, agreed to visa-free travel and other border-crossing measures. Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasoulzoda and his Uzbek counterpart, Abdulla Aripov, agreed to finalize and sign the new border protocols in the near future.
The new border regulations allow Tajik citizens to visit Uzbekistan and Uzbek citizens to visit Tajikistan without visas for up to 30 days.
The regulations also provide for the building of new checkpoints along the border and the opening of several bus links to connect the two nations' towns and cities.
The sides also reached an agreement regarding the disputed dam of the Soviet-era “Farhod” hydropower station along the border. Under the accord, the land on which the station stands will be Tajik property, while the station itself — including its equipment and infrastructure — will be owned by Uzbekistan.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, ties between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have often been tense due to disagreements on issues including borders, water, energy resources, and transit routes.
Relations between the countries have become warmer after Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power in Uzbekistan in 2016. Mirziyoyev has said that improving ties with Central Asian nations is a major priority of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev told lawmakers in the Tashkent region on January 6 that important bilateral agreements would be signed during his visit to Tajikistan. “We will sign many agreements on cooperation in the railway and energy spheres. We will also be considering many other issues,” he said.
