Uzbekistan and Tajikistan: New prospects for strategic partnership and alliance

The International Institute for Central Asia (IICA), together with the Strategic Research Center under the President of Tajikistan (SRC), held an international conference in Dushanbe on “Uzbekistan and Tajikistan: New prospects for strategic partnership and alliance”.

The event was attended by representatives of ministries and agencies of Tajikistan, including the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, Majlisi Namoyandagon, Majlisi Oli, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan.

The Uzbek side was represented by experts from the International Institute for Central Asia, the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS), the Center for Economic Research and Reforms, the Information and Analytical Center for International Relations, the Institute for Advanced International Studies and the Institute for Macroeconomic and Regional Studies.

In his welcoming speech, the SRC Director Khayriddin Usmonzoda noted that today, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan confirm their commitment to mutually beneficial cooperation with concrete actions. “Despite the economic turmoil in the world, both countries are opening up widely to each other and sharing dividends from cooperation, exchanging sources of development, stimulating people-to-people exchanges and strengthening economic ties”, the SRC Director said.

In turn, the First Deputy Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, Sodiq Imomi, noted that further strengthening cooperation with brotherly Uzbekistan is one of the most essential areas of Tajikistan’s foreign policy. According to him, relations between countries are progressively developing on international platforms, such as the UN, SCO, CIS, OSCE, OIC, and other organizations. “Regular consultative meetings of the heads of state of Central Asia, where common ideas and projects are promoted, are aimed at realizing the potential of multilateral cooperation in the interests of the entire region”, Sodiq Imomi added.

As IICA Director Javlon Vakhabov emphasized, there is an unprecedented rise in strategic partnership and alliance between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and this was a direct consequence of the good neighbor policy actively promoted by the President of Uzbekistan since 2017. Since then, through joint efforts, it has been possible to reform relations radically, move towards mutual openness and strengthen trust, and establish dynamic, practical cooperation and broad humanitarian exchange.

In their speeches, the conference participants also focused on trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. Experts advocated expanding cooperation in agriculture, energy, light industry, transport, digitalization, the formation of international economic corridors, and the creation of industrial and trade zones in border areas.

Following the conference, the participants presented several specific practical proposals to deepen ties between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the political-diplomatic, trade-economic, investment, and cultural-humanitarian spheres. These proposals will help identify new growth points and improve the well-being of the two fraternal peoples.