President Emomali Rahmon met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on May 9 in Moscow on the sidelines of the events dedicated to the 79th anniversary of the Victory Day.
The Tajik president’s official website says the heads of state congratulated each other and the people of the two countries on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the Great Victory.
Emomali Rahmon specially emphasized the contribution of the Tajik people and stated that 50 percent of the able-bodied population of Tajikistan at that time actively participated in that war.
One of the other important issues was cooperation in the field of energy. In order to solve the existing problems in this sector, Rahmon and Putin reportedly decided to give the necessary instructions to the relevant structures of both sides.
Particular attention was paid to the pressing issues of cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, regulation of labor migration and joint combatting security threats, especially terrorism, extremism, religious extremism and other manifestations of transnational organized crime.
In this context, the parties agreed to strengthen the activities of the relevant ministries and agencies of the two countries in these areas.
The need to take effective joint measures by the relevant agencies to solve the problems in the field of labor migration was especially emphasized, according to the Tajik president’s official website.
It was reportedly agreed that the high-ranking delegations of both sides will hold talks in the near future.
The parties also exchanged views on number of regional and international issues being of mutual interest.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin reports that Putin noted during the meeting that Russian special services have been hard at work in their effort to eliminate the common threats the countries face, “since terrorism poses a threat to all countries, including both Russia and Tajikistan.”
“We have established effective contacts along this track and our colleagues have been working closely to address these challenges. You and I have been there for them to support these efforts and will keep acting along the same lines moving forward,” Putin said.
As for other elements, primarily economic matters, he noted that “Russia remains Tajikistan’s main trade and economic partner, which is a source of satisfaction for us. We are the number one trading partner for your country, and there has been growing momentum in terms of developing our relations, which of course is rejoicing.”
Tajik leader, for his part, reportedly noted that Tajikistan stands against double standards in the fight against terrorism and extremism. “Terrorism has no nationality, religion or homeland, and we must fight against it jointly and everywhere,” Rahmon noted.
“As for some other issues, I believe that our enemies would like to cause trouble between us, using every means and trick available to divide us. But I think that [they will stumble against] our position; you know that Russia is a strategic partner and ally for Tajikistan. Russia’s largest military base outside Russia is located in Tajikistan. We have not changed our position all these years, and we are not planning to do it now. In other words, we must continue to work and fight jointly against global challenges and global threats,” said Emomali Rahmon. “Of course, today I would like to discuss some issues with you, especially our migrant workers. It is an especially delicate and large issue for us because of our demography: the population of Tajikistan is growing by 150 percent a year. Tajikistan is one of the former Soviet republics that provided men for the Soviet army’s construction battalions. Tajiks worked at all Komsomol and other major construction projects, and they are involved in such projects now as well. I think that Tajiks are an ancient people with their distinctive history, culture and civilization. What happened [near Moscow] is completely unacceptable to us. It has delivered a hard blow at our national image, history, culture and traditions. We will continue to work closely with you on such issues.”
“You know about my personal attitude to [Russian] culture and history and the Russian language, as well as to our trust-based personal relations. We want to live in a civilized world. Moscow and Russia have always been and, I think, will remain the center of the Soviet civilization in the post-Soviet space. When I attended that official parade today, I saw that it is what we have in common, what we have inherited from the former Soviet Union, the only common national holiday that unites us,” Tajik leader concluded.
