On April 12, 2024 in the city of Dushanbe held an international conference on «Tajikistan and Uzbekistan: new prospects for strategic partnership and alliance».
The international conference was organized jointly by the Center for strategic research under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and the International Institute of Central Asia.
It should be noted that the conference at the level of expert and analytical circles is not held for the first time. It has a regular character and this is served by the Cooperation Agreement signed on June 4, 2021 between the Center for strategic research under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and the International Institute of Central Asia.
The conference was aimed at discussing the prospects of promoting allied relations, detailed analysis of the status and progress of implementation of the adopted joint programs and documents, search for mechanisms to achieve the set goals, development of specific proposals to expand cooperation in priority areas for the countries (trade, industrial cooperation, transport, «green» development, agriculture, climate and water conservation, education, etc.).
This conference is also a logical continuation of joint efforts of the leaders of both countries and the friendly peoples of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to strengthen the bonds of friendship and joint development.
The conference focused on issues related to the specific and practical content of the previously signed interstate documents.
It should be emphasized that they define a range of specific areas of joint interaction, including trade and economic, transport, energy, environment and water use, security in the region, consolidate common approaches of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to the most important issues of further development of cooperation at the bilateral, regional and international levels.
The participants of the conference from the Tajik side were the leadership and leading experts of the Center for strategic research under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, National Academy of the Republic of Tajikistan, Majlisi Namoyandagon Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan and Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan.
On the Uzbek side, representatives of the International Institute of Central Asia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, the Institute of Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Institute of Macroeconomic and Regional Studies under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Institute of Advanced International Studies at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy took part in the conference.
Usmonzoda Khairidin — Director of the Central Asian Studies Center, Zhavlon Vakhabov — Director of IICA, Sodik Imomi — Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, Ergash Shaismatov — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Republic of Tajikistan addressed the participants of the conference.
Speeches and presentations of the rapporteurs were listened to during three sessions:
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan: towards a new quality of political dialog, strategic interaction on regional and international issues;
Prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation in the spheres of economy, energy, transportation, wateruse;
Strengthening of eternal friendship through expansion of exchange in the spheres of education, science, culture and tourism.
Within the framework of the first session of the conference, the reports were delivered by Abrar Jahangerovich Fatkhullaev — head of department of the Institute of Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Rustam Ҳaidarzoda — director of the Institute for the Study of Asian and European Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, Sanjar Valiev — director of the Information and Analytical Center for International Relations under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Nozim Makhmadizoda — director of the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Law named after A.M. Bakho.
The reports presented gave a positive assessment of the current state of political dialog and strategic interaction between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan on regional and international issues.
It was emphasized that Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have sufficient points of convergence to play a leading role in regional cooperation along with preservation and further development of active political and economic cooperation.
The second session of the conference heard reports from the following participants: Anvarov Nasimdzhon — First Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan, Rustam Rakhmatzod — Chairman of the Party of Economic Reforms of Tajikistan, Mukhsinjon Kholmukhamedov — Deputy Director of the Center for Economic Research and Reforms under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Sharif Rakhimzoda — Director of the Institute of Economics and Demography of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, Khaldarov Zamon Atabayevich — Deputy Director of the Institute of Economics and Demography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan.
The participants stated that the world economy continues to face negative influences, which restrains sustainable and balanced economic growth and this, of course, will not leave the economies of both countries without attention. Therefore, as it was noted, mutual interstate support to prevent the negative impact of destructive factors on the politics and economy of the two countries and to expand cooperation in trade, economy, finance and investment, economy, energy, transportation and water use is needed today more than ever.
In their speech, the experts considered it necessary to effectively utilize the potential of bilateral trade and economic cooperation and practical monitoring of the implementation of agreements that were reached during negotiations and constructive dialogue between the leaders of both countries.
At the third session of the conference, speakers Akram Umarov — Deputy Director of the Institute of Advanced International Studies of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Guzel Maitdinova — Director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies of RTSU, Alizoda Bahriddin Pirmuhammad — Head of the Department of Philosophy and Humanities of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Azizkhan Nazirov — Chief Researcher of the IICA, presented interesting and informative reports on strengthening eternal friendship through the expansion of cooperation between the two countries.
Special attention was paid to the expansion of people-to-people diplomacy, the development of interregional ties, and the strengthening of cultural and humanitarian interaction.
Having reaffirmed mutual respect, good-neighborliness and solid basis of friendship between the countries, the participants also noted the existence of untapped significant potential for further expansion of interaction. That is why the two heads of state agreed during the previous talks to increase the volume of bilateral trade by intensifying cooperation in projects with Central Asian dimension (transport, agriculture, energy, wateruse, etc.).
In general, Tajik-Uzbek relations are successfully developing in all directions and joint efforts of government, business and expert circles of the two countries are required to further strengthen allied relations.
The participants also made a number of concrete, practical proposals to deepen ties between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in political-diplomatic, trade-economic, investment and cultural-humanitarian spheres, and worked out new non-standard approaches to strengthening bilateral cooperation.
Press Service of the Center for strategic research under the
President of the Republic of Tajikistan
