Co-chaired by Mr. Jamshed Shoimzoda, Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan and Mr. Farhad Yazdandoust, Advisor to the Minister of Energy of Iran, a meeting of the Committee for the Review of the implementation of the Protocol of the 12th meeting of the Tajik-Iranian Intergovernmental Commission for Economic, Commercial, Technological and Cultural Cooperation took place in Tehran on May 28-29.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, the parties discussed the current state of cooperation between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in various fields, and also outlined ways to implement the decisions of the 12th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic, Commercial, Technological and Cultural Cooperation.
The meeting reportedly ended with signing of a protocol, which reflected the decisions taken at the meeting.
Tajikistan and Iran have traditionally close relations, sharing many similar cultural, religious and ethnic identifiers and Iran has been a major sponsor of essential hydropower infrastructure in Tajikistan, but Iran has angered Tajikistan by inviting the Islamic Renascence Party (IRPT) leader Muhiddin Kabiri to attend the International Islamic Unity Conference that took place in Tehran on December 27-29, 2015., who is wanted by police in Tajikistan to face various terrorism charges.
Tajikistan’s MFA said in a statement on December 29, 2015 that it was “greatly concerned” that “the head of the extremist and terrorist former IRPT, Muhiddin Kabiri, who faces charges of attempting to overthrow the government … has been invited to the conference.”
In April 2016, Tajikistan’s customs service introduced restrictions on the import of food products from Iran. Dry leaf tea, poultry and other goods were ruled unacceptable for their allegedly poor quality. In July 2016, the Tajik office of Iran’s Khomeini Imdod Committee, an international development fund, closed. In early July 2017, the Iranian trade and culture center in the Tajik northern city of Khujand, which was particularly appreciated for its library services and fast internet, closed its doors. The shuttering reportedly came at the request of the Tajik authorities.
In August 2017, Tajik authorities have accused Iran of backing high-profile killings in Tajikistan during the Tajik civil war in the 1990s. In a documentary broadcast on Tajik national television on August 8, the Interior Ministry of Tajikistan claimed that Iran was allegedly interested in unleashing civil war in Tajikistan, and it allegedly provided assistance to the IRPT and trained its militants in Iranian territory.
Iran’s Embassy in Dushanbe on August 9, 2017 released a statement, in which it dismissed “unfounded claims made in the documentary.” The statement posted on the Embassy’s website, in particular, described such claims as 'regrettable' saying there is no doubt that the documentary’s producers will not be able to mar cultural bonds and historic friendship between the two nations of Iran and Tajikistan.
It added that the noble nation of Tajikistan will never forget that Iran as one of the main founders and guarantors of Tajikistan’s peace and host of talks between the country's conflicting sides has played a constructive role in ending Tajikistan's civil wars in 1990.
On February 12 this year, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin told reporters in Dushanbe that Tajikistan is taking efforts to improve its relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. “Iran was the first country to recognize Tajikistan’s independence in 1991 and opened its embassy in Dushanbe in 1992. No one can deny historical and cultural commonality between our countries,” the minister said.
According to him, Tajikistan and Iran have problems only on political issues. “But this problem is not so serious,” Muhriddin said.
He further noted that Iranian companies have been participating in construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in Tajikistan.
“Tajikistan and Iran have many joint projects, including Sangtuda-2 HPP, Istiqlol Tunnel and others,” the minister said.
According to official statistical data of Tajikistan, the bilateral trade between Tajikistan and Iran has decreased three times – from nearly 295 million U.S. dollars in 2013 to 97 million U.S. dollars in 2018.
