President Emomali Rahmon will pay a two-day official visit to Moscow from November 21-22, Abdufattoh Sharifzoda, a spokesman for the Tajik president, told Asia-Plus in an interview Thursday (November 16) afternoon.
According to him, Emomali Rahmon will hold a tete-a-tete meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and then a meeting of the delegation of the two countries will take place under the chairmanship of the presidents.
The negotiations are expected to result in signing of a number of cooperation documents
Sharifzoda refrained from giving further details and did not say what documents will be signed in Moscow.
After Moscow, Emomali Rahmon will travel to Belarus’s capital, Minsk, to participate in a Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit that will take place there on November 23.
The CSTO press service says members of the CSTO Collective Security Council are set to discuss topical issues of international and regional security, determine the upcoming tasks, and also adopt a number of documents aimed at ensuring the interests of collective security.
The previous meet of Emomali Rahmon with Vladimir Putin took place in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, on the margins of a meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State.
The parties discussed in details state and prospects of further expansion of cooperation, strategic partnership and allied interaction between Tajikistan and the Russian Federation.
It is to be noted that Tajikistan’s foreign policy trajectories have not drastically changed. In light of the so-called “special military operation” launched by Russia in Ukraine only a few new actors entered its foreign policy scene, while traditional strategic players remain the same.
Tajikistan hosts Russian 201st Military Base, which is Russia's largest non-naval military facility outside the country.
This year Russia clearly became more interested in Tajikistan than it used to be over the last few years. As a result of sanctions, Russia is looking for new economic partners.
Russia remains the major trading partner of Tajikistan. Over the first nine months of this year, the bilateral trade between Tajikistan and the Russian Federation has valued at has valued at 1,213,500,700 US dollars, which is 0.6 percent less than in the same period last year. This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to Russia estimated at 192,544,400 US dollars and Tajikistan’s imports from Russia worth 1,110,956,300 US dollars.
