Russia will help Tajikistan address terrorist threat emanating from northern Afghanistan, says Russian chef diplomat

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov remarked this on February 24 following negotiations with his Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin, according to TASS.  

“We have expressed concern about presence of militants of international terrorist groups in Afghan northern provinces, in fact, on the border with Tajikistan and other Central Asian partners,” Russian foreign minister was cited as saying by TASS.

According to Lavrov, they reaffirmed their willingness to contribute to the peace process in Afghanistan, “also with use of Moscow format, opportunities of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group.” 

“Agreements on military and technical cooperation, including further modernization of the armed forces of Tajikistan, will be implemented in a full volume in the future as well,” Russia’s chief diplomat stressed.   

Russian foreign minister assured that Russian will continue assisting Central Asia’s nations in combating terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking.   

“We have a common opinion that the Russian military base deployed in Tajikistan is a serious factor of stability and security in the region,” Lavrov said. 

Lavrov and Muhriddin reportedly also discussed issues related to regulation of the labor migration process. 

Russian foreign minister noted that Russian was interested in simplification of the import of farm produce from Tajikistan.

According to him, Moscow and Dushanbe are currently working on simplification of customs control in order to facilitate the delivery of Tajik agricultural goods to Russia.  

Recall, Tajik Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, was on a two-day official visit to Moscow on February 24-25.   

The Protocol on establishment of diplomatic relations between Tajikistan and the Russian Federation  was signed in Dushanbe on April 8, 1992.  The Embassy of the Russian Federation was opened in Dushanbe on May 4, 1992.

The Embassy of Tajikistan was opened in Moscow on December 18, 1993.

On May 25, 1993, the two countries signed an Agreement on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance.  The legal foundation of the bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Russia includes more than 230 documents.  

Both countries are close allies and members of the CIS, CSTO, and SCO.  Tajikistan hosts Russian military units and infrastructure in Central Asia.  Tajikistan and Russia also work closely together in issues concerning Afghanistan and are partners in anti-terrorism, anti-narcotics, and intelligence operations.