Tajikistan Eyeing Further Trade with Iran

“Our leadership emphasizes the expansion of economic, commercial and investment cooperation with Iran. We demand an increase in the volume of trade exchanges, especially the strengthening of investments and presence of Iran in the agricultural, energy, industry and tourism sectors of Tajikistan,” Rasulzoda said, during a farewell visit by Iranian ambassador o on Thursday. 

Saying that the capacities of the two countries are far beyond their current trade figures, the Tajik Prime Minister reiterated, “It is necessary to take various measures, especially in the Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation of the two countries, as well as setting up trade fairs and conferences, strengthening the private sector and inter-provincial and inter-city cooperation to realize these capacities.”

Rasulzoda also hailed Iran for its investment in Tajikistan's major infrastructure projects, including the construction of the Sangtudeh- 2 power plant, the Esteqlal Tunnel, and Rogun Dam and power plant, and called for the development of such joint cooperation. 

The Iranian diplomat, for his part pointed to Iran and Tajikistan's commonalities and said that in recent years, certain third parties have been trying to exploit and sow discord between the two countries.

But they have fortunately failed thanks to determination of the high-ranking authorities and presidents of the two nations.

Earlier in mid-February, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said that Tehran is eager to further expand ties with Dushanbe as it considers its ties with Tajikistan as “familial”.

“Relations between Iran and Tajikistan are deep and based on shared and old roots. Such bonds, which are legacies of the remote past, cannot be ignored,” Qassemi said.

His remarks came after Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin said a couple of days earlier that Dushanbe is taking efforts to improve its relations with Tehran.

“I agree with the remarks made by the Tajik foreign minister in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s national day ceremony and believe that history, geography, the past and the future and all commonalities among us stress increased cooperation and empathy between the two governments and nations,” Qassemi added.

“Principally, Iran’s policy towards (its) neighbors is an open and quite clear policy based on deepening cooperation in all possible fields and (developing) relations with good neighborliness and closeness of ties between governments and nations,” he noted. 

“We seek a Tajikistan that always enjoys security and stability, is powerful, growing, and developing. The policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the years after the country’s independence has been to stand by the Tajik government. This is an approach that we still adopt and has not changed.”

“Iran has not and is not supporting any group that acts against Tajikistan’s legal bodies and has always sought good and brotherly relations with that government. For us, the independence, territorial integrity and national sovereignty [of Tajikistan] and friendly and brotherly relations between the two governments are a basic priority and principle. We consider our relations with the Tajik government as familial,” he highlighted. 

“We hope that, using all available potential capacities and by making the commission for joint cooperation between the two countries more active, we would take effective and shared steps to broaden bilateral relations," the Iranian diplomat stated.

“Our heart’s desire is to increase empathy and broaden relations in all fields and shape a bright future in this regard. Of course, we should be careful and vigilant because our friendly relations have always had enemies and ill-wishers and we should vigilantly foil mischievous efforts aimed at damaging the two countries’ relations,” the foreign ministry’s mouthpiece underlined. 

“Considering the region’s conditions and centers that work to expand extremism and terrorism and target security and stability and sovereignty of the countries, collective cooperation should be established to eliminate these threats and this requires a universal and even global will," Qassemi stressed.

“For its part, Iran has taken steps in this path with full force and has stood by all countries and governments that had been threatened by terrorism and extremism and will keep up this approach,” he said.