Distinguished Fellow Citizens!
Esteemed Members of the Parliament!
Ladies and Gentlemen!
In these honorable moments, with a great sense of respect and patriotic love and dedication, I would like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to the noble people of Tajikistan and our fellow citizens overseas, who on the date of 11th of October of this year, at a very important political event – Presidential Elections in Tajikistan, expressed their high level of trust and entrusted their destiny and the one of the country to me.
Also, I would like to outline with a great respect that, as a son of the dear nation of Tajikistan, as early as since the initial days of my activities in the capacity of the Head of the State, I have been inspired by the sincere support of the noble people of my country, blessings of our father and mothers, experienced and elderly, and particularly the proactive support of our patriotic and dedicated youth, and made firm steps towards elimination of cruel political and socio-economic hardships faced by our country.
I am extremely grateful to the people of Tajikistan for appreciating my efforts through their proactive engagement and proved their sincere feelings towards me by casting their votes in my favour.
This sincere feeling and love by my dear nation urge me to multiply my efforts by dozens of times for prosperity of Tajikistan, stability of my Motherland and peaceful life of every household.
Today I understand very well that the trust and sincerity increases by several times my sense of responsibility towards implementing the great mission of governance, i.e. leading the sovereign state of Tajikistan, protection of peace and tranquility, political stability, national unity, ensuring continuous and effective functioning of governance pillars, public and state security, rule of law, dynamic socio-economic development of the country and most importantly, better living standards of our country’s residents.
I am deeply grateful to the destiny for having deserved the trust of my dear people and I bow my thanks before the entire noble people of Tajikistan for this great level of trust and sincerity, support and prayer of our fathers and mothers.
I sincerely love everybody of you – my dear nation, every small and elderly of Tajikistan, and I will serve you with a full dedication to the last breath of mine.
I would like to highlight one important point with pride and satisfaction: Holding two important political events in just seven months, namely the election of deputies to the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the Majlisi Oli and local assemblies of people’s deputies, and in particular the Presidential Elections in Tajikistan once again proved that the environment of full mutual understanding, national unity, devotion to historic dreams of the ancient Tajik nation, sustained peace and stability and advanced political and civic culture has transformed into a strong power in the current society in Tajikistan.
This positive development reassures me for the bright future of our beloved Tajikistan and peaceful life of our dear people and further strengthens my belief in the stable future of my state and people.
During the last seven years, we have accomplished significant amount of activities to achieve our supreme national objectives and primarily to ensure conducive environment for decent life of our country’s people. Now I would like to briefly mention some of them.
Between 2013 — 2020, our GDP has more than doubled and its annual growth reached 7%. The GDP per capita increased by 1.7 times, the population’s monetary income by more than two times and the average wage by 2.4 times.
More than 1 million jobs were created and the number of citizens engaged in labor migration has gone down from 1,100,000 to 460,000 people, i.e., by 2.5 times.
Implementation of strategic documents made it possible to decrease poverty rate from ease poverty rate from 38.3 % in 2013 to 26.3% in 2020, i.e., by 12 % and the citizen’s average longevity has increased from 73 to 75 years.
In these very memorable historical minutes I would like to offer my gratitude to dedicated industry specialists and entrepreneurs as well as philanthropists for their devoted hard efforts and patriotic initiatives that led to development of industry and construction, development of the country’s urban and rural areas, creation of new jobs and improvement of people’s living standards.
I also would like to recall that the effective fiscal policy made it possible to double the fiscal revenues in this period. More than TJS 100bn of investments, including TJS 30bn of foreign direct investments have been channeled from different sources of funding to various sectors of our national economy.
During the mentioned period secondary education schools for 245 000 seats, healthcare facilities for 9 000 beds and residential buildings with 9 million m2 were constructed and commissioned.
In this period, more than 1500km of motorways, 190 bridges, 50km of railroad were constructed and commissioned, which expanded the country’s transit capacity.
Over the past seven years, more than 32 billion Somoni has been directed to the energy sector of the country for modernization of existing capacity and construction of new ones. In particular, with the efforts of the Government and dedicated support and efforts of our people towards our strategic goal – energy security, we have made another great and stable step forward, i.e., we have commissioned two units of Roghun hydropower plant, which is one of the most important achievements in the new history of Tajikistan. As a result, the country’s total capacity for electricity generation reached 21 billion kWh, and thereby we addressed the winter rationing.
With a view to improving the regions’ socio-economic welfare, facilitating population’s productive employment and increasing economic activity of the population we announced the years of 2019-2021 as the «Period of rural development, tourism and folk crafts» and the period for preparations for the 30th anniversary of state independence. As part of the above-mentioned initiative, there are plans to build and commission more than 25000 social, industrial and tourism facilities in towns and districts of the country by September 2021, which will create tens of thousands of new jobs and solve many social issues of the population.
However, I would like to recall that despite all these achievements, we are still at the beginning of a very important stage of sustainable socio-economic development of our country and the process of landscaping of our beloved homeland, and we must work harder and more faithfully to implement our good intentions and plans.
In the next seven years, through the efficient use of national resources and all opportunities, we must achieve full energy security, ensure complete connectivity and transform Tajikistan into a transit country. During this time, we must move closer to another strategic goal — food security, and accelerate the process of intensive industrialization, which will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and minimize labor migration.
First of all, we need to improve the living standards and quality of life of the people by scaling up the implementation of the “National Development Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan for the period up to 2030” as every citizen of the country deserves a decent, peaceful life with dignity.
Over the next seven years, the economic sector will give priority to three main tasks — sustainable development through greater diversification and competitiveness of the national economy; increased share of the middle class; and achievement of socio-economic development at the level of middle-income countries. In this process, we will ensure the quality of national economic growth through intensive industrialization of the country, and wider business and investment support.
Over the next seven years, we must double the country’s GDP growth, and increase the share of the middle class to 45 percent and reduce poverty to 15 percent. Having built on our country’s development, we will undertake necessary actions through creation of new jobs, increasing the population’s monetary income, wages, pensions and scholarships to address the public social issues in a timely manner and to create decent living conditions.
We intend to gradually improve the quality of services in the fields of science, education, healthcare and social protection and channel more than TJS 123 billion to these areas from all sources of financing by taking into account the pensions and social insurance. Our plans include improving the population’s access to food, and reducing the country’s economic dependence on food imports.
In this regard, I would like to thank the farmers of the country, who work diligently to improve the land management and efficient land use to increase production, enrich the consumer market and provide the population with food, i.e., to protect food security.
We intend to continue the reforms aimed at ensuring business development and creating a favorable investment climate, to continue supporting creative initiatives of entrepreneurs, to protect their rights and interests, and to improve the tax administration system.
Over the next seven years, the country’s banking sector will provide more than 100 billion TJS in loans for the development of various economic and social spheres and thereby increase this indicator by 1.5 times compared to the previous seven years.
To achieve the fourth strategic goal — intensive industrialization of the country — we will give priority to the development of mining, non-ferrous metallurgy, machinery, light industry, food and pharmaceutical industries, and will take all necessary actions to process the raw material, increase the production of competitive import-substituting and export-oriented products.
In the next seven years, with a view to scaling up activities on energy security, we will continue constructing hydropower plants and transmission lines, reconstructing existing hydropower plants and constructing new power generation facilities.
According to international experts, Tajikistan now is among the six leading countries globally in terms of “green energy” generation, and after the full commissioning of Roghun hydropower plant it will be among the top four of such countries. Thus, it will upgrade its rank by two points. Thereby, Tajikistan will have a stronger contribution to improvement of the environment in the region and the planet through reduced greenhouse gas emissions, which will create a more favorable environment for the development of a «green economy» in the country.
We will build 1,500 kilometers of international roads in the next seven years in order to expand the geography of transportation network of goods and improve the quality of transport services.
We will ensure the development of handicrafts, including folk crafts and tourism, in particular, ecological, medical, historical, ethnographic, cultural, mountaineering and other forms of tourism, and further improve the sector’s infrastructure with the use of the existing resources in the country.
With a view to ensuring sustainable socio-economic development and improving the living standards of the people, we will continue to mobilize all resources and opportunities to create a modern rural infrastructure in the country.
It is worth noting about the good and constructive public-private partnership and the relations between the Government and the international financial institutions and development partners, and we will continue to expand mutually beneficial cooperation with them.
My dear fellow citizens,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Given the key role of science and education in our public social policy, we will continue the reforms in this area. We will strengthen physical infrastructure and further enhance the status of teachers in society.
In the next seven years, we will undertake all necessary actions to further improve public health services by steadily increasing funding for health and social services. Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank every healthcare provider, especially doctors and nurses, who worked tirelessly and conscientiously, and still do so, to protect the health of the people of Tajikistan and treat patients during the most difficult period of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
We will draft and adopt special programs to improve employment opportunities for women, persons with disabilities and disadvantaged groups, and scale up the production of rehabilitation equipment for them.
We plan to implement additional actions on social protection of orphans and the persons with disabilities, families without breadwinners and poor families, as well as vulnerable and needy groups.
As we have declared culture to be the essence of the nation and one of the core means to raise the consciousness of the people, in the next seven years, we will take concrete actions to ensure spiritual improvement of the society, development of the state language, culture, arts and music, theater, cinema, protection of historical sites, aesthetic knowledge, and create favorable conditions for young talents.
We pay a special attention to the issue of comprehensive upbringing of youth as the most important dimension of our public policy, and in the next seven years, we intend to fully support the creative initiatives of young people and take a series of additional actions to promote sports and healthy lifestyle.
Training of professionals among the youth and their employment at all levels of public service will be at the forefront of our work. Over the next seven years, we intend to enroll more than 540,000 young people by higher education institutions in the country, dispatch up to 40,000 talented young people to study abroad in developed countries to train highly qualified personnel for various sectors of our national economy.
We have a strong confidence in the youth of the independence period and provide them with the necessary conditions and opportunities so that they as the next generation take over the future of the state, homeland and people, further improve it and thereby continue our path to develop and prosper our ancestral land.
Today, women play a very important role in all sectors of the national economy and public service, and in the future, we will create better conditions for them and fully support the initiatives of women in the country. We will draft and implement the «2021-2030 National Strategy for Empowerment of Women in the Republic of Tajikistan» to further improve the social status of women and expand their activities in the economy.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
During its independence, Tajikistan has earned a decent position in the international arena as a reliable and benevolent partner with a peaceful and balanced «open door» based foreign policy, and is recognized as one of the initiators in addressing a number of global issues, in particular security, water and energy, environmental protection and climate change.
The intensifying trade competition and collision, the armed conflicts in various parts of the world, the rise of terrorism and extremism, climate change and the unprecedented growth of novel infectious diseases on a global scale prove that humanity is still vulnerable to modern threats and challenges and needs to reinforce cooperation and integration. To this end, we will continue to expand friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation with all countries of the world, primarily with neighbouring countries, as well as our strategic partners to promote our national interests in the medium and long term prospects taking into account the contemporary realities within the framework of international and regional entities and organizations.
Dear fellow citizens!
Ensuring the rule of law and justice, protecting the human rights and freedoms, the fight against crimes such as terrorism and extremism, cybercrime, illicit drug and arms trafficking, and other transnational organized crimes, safeguarding the state and public security, and preserving the state independence remains as the absolute priority of the state.
As the achievement of our strategic goals, landscaping and development activities and the progress and prosperity of the country is feasible only in an atmosphere of serenity and tranquility, unity and solidarity, and justice and legitimacy.
I would like to cordially express my gratitude to all the soldiers and officers of the Armed Forces and the law enforcement officials of the country — the brave, allegiant, valorous and courageous sons of our Motherland — for their faithful service and strong contribution to the restoration of the constitutional system, peace and harmony, protection of ancestral land, independence and freedom of our beloved Tajikistan, ensuring tranquility and legitimacy, i.e., the rule of law.
The rapidly-changing situation in the region and the world, particularly the expansion of terrorist and extremist organizations and groups, urges us to foster the structure and functioning of the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies, strengthen their physical infrastructure, and provide constant training for personnel of military institutions and law enforcement agencies to protect the borders of our precious country and the security of the state and society.
I would also like to express my confidence that our prospective plans for the next seven years will lay a solid foundation for the sustainable and steady development of our wonderful Tajikistan in the forthcoming decades.
In the process of implementation of our programmes, we build on the recommendations and proposals of other political parties and their candidates that are in the economic and social favour of the state and the people of the country.
Today, I would like to reiterate with a firm conviction that I will continue my mission in the capacity of the President of my country for the next seven years only through support by and reliance on my esteemed people.
I give manful pledge to the glorious people of Tajikistan to fully dedicate my life to the protection of independence and freedom, peace and tranquillity, comprehensive and steadfast political stability, national solidarity, unity, and progress and prosperity of our fabulous Tajikistan.
For me, the independence and freedom of my adorable homeland, peace and political stability of my gorgeous country, national accord, unity and solidarity of my great people are among the most valuable holy tasks.
Once again, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation, filial devotion and loyalty to my sacred land, my eminent people and every citizen of my soul-like homeland — Tajikistan.
I have received a lot of love, sincerity and kindness from every young and adult of Tajikistan, and I will serve day and night for such an honourable and merciful people faithfully, with a pure conscience, good expectations and intentions, and with every fibre of my being.
I am confident that Tajikistan has a bright future, and together with our noble people and civilized nation with a prominent culture, we will make our beloved ancestral homeland prosperous, splendid, advanced and powerful, and further enhance its image in the international arena.
I genuinely and wholeheartedly love my enchanting Motherland and my people, because I have reached this dignity thanks to the bread and salt of my great nation, and I will cherish this bread and salt till the last breath of mine and will not betray it.
I swear by the pious name of Almighty God, by the bread and salt of the glorious people of Tajikistan, by the name of this ancient land, by the eternal memory of its prominent children and by the lives of nearly nine and a half million citizens of my charming homeland that I will sacrifice all my knowledge and experience, endeavours and efforts and lifetime for this sacred land and water, for this truly great and heroic, enlightened and civilized, kind and appreciative, hard-working and strongwill people, and independent and free Tajikistan.
Let the sun of independence and freedom, pure peace and stability, joy and happiness sparkle on Tajikistan and every family of its honourable people forever!
Lets move forward – Tajikistan! Towards the highest peaks of progress and development!
Source: NIAT «Khovar»
