The Government of Tajikistan has an agreement signed with the Government of China on conducting joint counter-terrorism drills for ratification to Tajikistan’s lower chamber (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament.
The document, endorsed by the Government of Tajikistan on September 27 this year, was signed in the Chinese city of Xi’an on May 18, 2023.
The document, posted on the Justice Ministry’s legal information website, in particular, notes that the main purpose of these counter-terrorism drills is aimed at improving the level of coherence of governing bodies in managing special anti-terrorist formations as well as the level of training and practical tactical skills of the parties’ special anti-terrorist formations.
Recall, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon was on a state visit to China on May 16-19, 2023 at the invitation of China’s President Xi Jinping.
A joint statement between China and Tajikistan, which was published by The America Times on May 19, 2023, says the two heads of state held talks in a cordial and friendly atmosphere and exchanged in-depth views on mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and international and regional issues of common concern.
The two sides are reportedly willing to expand mutually beneficial cooperation and strengthen friendly partnership under the framework of the Community with a Shared Future for Mankind initiative, based on the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, and non-interference in internal affairs.
The two sides vow to continue supporting each other on issues concerning core interests such as national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
The two sides agreed that the diplomacy of the head of state has played an important strategic leading role in promoting the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Tajikistan.
The two sides will maintain a good momentum of high-level exchanges and contacts at all levels, exchange views on major issues in China-Tajikistan relations and international and regional situations in a timely manner, continuously strengthen strategic communication, and enhance strategic and political mutual trust.
The two sides emphasized that it is of great significance to further deepen the cooperation between the two sides in combating the “three evil forces”, illegal drug trafficking, transnational organized crime, arms, ammunition, explosives smuggling and cybercrime. The two sides will continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fields of safeguarding international information security, consolidating border security and combating economic crimes.
In order to effectively respond to modern threats and challenges, the law enforcement and security agencies of the two countries will continue to conduct joint anti-terrorism exercises to improve joint operational capabilities and jointly maintain regional stability. The two sides spoke positively of the level of military and military-technical cooperation between the two countries, and will continue to strengthen exchanges at all levels and support the development of close military and military-technical cooperation.
Tajikistan and China has agreed to conduct joint counter-terrorism military exercises at least once every two years.
The agreement notes that the main purpose of the exercises is to strengthen and further develop strategic partnership. Another goal of conducting joint military exercises is reportedly in increasing the levels of coherence of the counter-terrorism formations, interaction between special formations and training of special formations of the two countries.
The Interior Ministry signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Tajikistan.
The parties conduct drills at least once every two years and the initiating party notifies another party of conducting military exercises no later than six months before the start of the exercises.
“The Parties shall independently bear the costs associated with the execution of this Agreement, unless otherwise agreed in each particular case,” says the draft agreement, which was posted on the Justice Ministry’s legal information website in November last year.
It is to be noted that Tajikistan and China have conducted several joint counter-terrorism military exercises to date.
A three-day military exercise for Tajik and Chinese servicemen was conducted at Mumirak military range in Khatlon province on September 14-16, 2006. The exercise focused on international terrorism, dealing with crises, and strengthening each country's capacity to handle new challenges and threats. The purpose of the exercise was to rehearse cooperation and interaction in counterterrorism operations.
In June 2015, over 100 servicemen from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security reportedly joined special operations forces from the Tajik Interior Ministry and practiced coordinating in a mountainous counter-terror operation.
In October 2016, Tajikistan and China conducted joint bilateral military exercises in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO). Tajikistan's Ministry of Defense reported that the exercise involved 10,000 troops, but that the Chinese contingent was only a "mobile company."
In September 2016, Tajikistan announced that China would build 11 border guard posts along the border with Afghanistan, as well as a border guard training center.
And earlier 2016, China and Tajikistan, along with Afghanistan and Pakistan, created a "Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism" to jointly combat terror.
In August 2019, Tajikistan and China conducted a joint counter-terrorism exercise, dubbed Cooperation-2019, at the Jilondi training range in GBAO’s Shugnan district. About 1,200 troops from both sides reportedly joined the exercise, which lasted from August 7 to August 16.
In October 2021, Tajik parliament endorsed an agreement, under which China will build a special base in Wakhan Gorge, GBAO’s Ishkashim district.
Tajik MP Tolibkhon Azimzoda told reporters at that time that the base is being built at the request of the government of Tajikistan.
