Tajik President Emomali Rahmon yesterday afternoon received Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov, who arrived in Dushanbe on a working visit.
In the course of the talks, the parties discussed state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, according to the Tajik president’s official website.
Tajik leader, in particular, noted that Tajikistan attaches significance to its relationships with Uzbekistan
Rahmon and Kamilov reportedly noted with satisfaction the positive dynamics of development of bilateral relationships between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the format of strategic partnership, expressing confidence in the logical continuation of this process in the future as well.
They also discussed a number of international and regional issues being of mutual interest. Attention was reportedly focused on the importance of providing regional security as the main condition for social and political stability in Central Asia.
Abdulaziz Kamilov handed Emomali Rahmon an invitation from Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to pay a working visit to Uzbekistan for participation in an international conference entitled “Central Asia and South Asia: Regional Connectivity: Challenges and Opportunities.”
On the same day Uzbek foreign minister met with his Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin. The two discussed practically the similar issues. Muhriddin and Kamilov also exchanged views on collaboration between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan within international and regional, according to the Tajik MFA information department.
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have accumulated many problems after collapse of the Soviet Union. These problems caused the countries' relations to go into a deep freeze two decades ago, including disputes over water and borders. The two countries had had the worst bilateral relations in Central Asia.
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.
Emomali Rahmon and Shavkat Mirziyoyev have met several times since September 2016 and in March 2018, Mirziyoyev made an historic visit to Dushanbe, where 27 bilateral agreements were signed in the fields of trade, economy, investment, finance, transport and transit, agriculture, water and energy, taxes, customs, tourism, education and science, health, culture, interregional cooperation, in the field of security and countering crime. One of the agreements signed in Dushanbe on March 9 last year after the negotiations was a deal enabling nationals of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to visit each other’s countries for up to 30 days without obtaining visa
Earlier in April 2018, 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.
27 bilateral governmental agreements addressing bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in industry, education, border security, agriculture and much else were signed during President’s Rahmon’s state visit to Uzbekistan in August 2018.
51 companies with Uzbek capital now operate in Tajikistan, and 178 enterprises with Tajik direct investment have operated in Uzbekistan as of September 1, 2020. Of those 178 enterprises, 103 have been doing a joint business with Uzbek entrepreneurs and 75 enterprises have operated with capital of Tajik businesspeople.
