Tajikistan Features - The Times Of Central Asia

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Russian Military to Train Specialists in Tajikistan’s Army

Russian military instructors from the Central Military District of the Russian 201st base in Tajikistan will train 1,000 specialists in the Armed Forces of Tajikistan in 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defense has stated. Training will take place in the Lyaur and Sambuli bases in 14 military specialties: driver mechanic and gunner operator of the T-72 tank, crew commander of the BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system, gunner of the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery gun, gunner of the BTR-80 armored personnel carrier, gunner-operator of the BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle, reconnaissance officer, grenade launcher, and others, the ministry said. The 201st military base stationed in Tajikistan is Russia’s largest military facility outside its borders. Located in two cities, Dushanbe and Bokhtar, the bases include motorized rifle, tank, artillery, reconnaissance, and air defense units. Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier stated during President Rahmon’s visit to Moscow in November 2023 that Russia and Tajikistan would continue deepening cooperation in defense, military-technical, counterterrorism and antidrug trafficking operations. “We will continue working to maintain peace and stability in Central Asia. We intend to continue actively using the potential of the 201st Russian military base in Tajikistan,” Putin said at the time.

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Tajikistan to Achieve Energy Independence and Become Green Country

In 2023, Tajikistan’s GDP increased by 8.3% compared to the previous year, and over the past seven years the country’s GDP has grown 1.5-fold while the national economy has developed at an average pace of 7.5%, the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon stated addressing parliament on December 28th. The President said that prioritizing the prevention of potential risks to the national economy, making efficient use of available resources, industrialization and creating jobs have been the main priorities of the government in recent years. Among Tajikistan’s main concerns, the President said, are the establishment of a “green economy,” accelerating the economy’s digitization, developing human resources, raising the competitiveness of domestically produced goods, bolstering exports, and enhancing the standards of social services. Rahmon said that given the abundance of hydropower resources in Tajikistan, the high production capacity of "green energy" and its export, the Government is making confident steps towards achieving its strategic goal of energy independence. In 2023, Tajikistan’s energy capacity exceeded 6,000 megawatts, and electricity production amounted 22 billion kilowatt-hours, which is 4.8 billion kilowatt-hours or 28% more than in 2017. Rahmon said that Tajikistan will take urgent measures over the next seven years to increase energy exports up to 10 billion kilowatt-hours taking into account the implementation of CAЅA-1000 power transmission line project and re-connection to the Central Asia energy system. The country will also construct power plants using renewable energy sources and increase the "green energy" production capacity up to 1,000 megawatts by 2030. With the implementation of these measures, the President said, by 2032 electricity production in the country will be entirely from renewable sources, that is, 100% will be provided by “green energy, and Tajikistan will truly become a green country,” President Rahmon said.

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Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan Agree on Another Border Section

Delegations from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have conducted more work on the definition and designation of the state border, agreeing on the divination of another 11.88 km at a meeting in Buston held between the 17th and 23rd of December. The two parties also agreed to continue determining the remaining sections oat the next meeting to be held in Kyrgyzstan. A long-standing source of conflict between the two nations, it is emblematic of the problem that even the length of the border - sometimes cited as being 975-kilomtres long, and at others times 972-kilomteres - is rarely agreed upon. In January 2023, Tajikistan’s President Rahmon stated that 614-kilometres have been agreed upon, backtracking on a previously stated figure of 664. With its scant natural resources and dwindling water supplies, the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has been the scene of numerous skirmishes for many years. In 2014, all borders between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were closed indefinitely to Kyrgyz and Tajik citizens following clashes over a bypass road in disputed territory; mortars were fired and both armies suffered casualties. In 2021 and 2022, troubles flared up again. Several hundred kilometers of the border have not yet been defined. This situation developed after the collapse of the USSR, leaving the parties unable to agree on dozens of disputed areas. The non-delimited territories become a conflict zone between the local population, and the border guards of the two countries became involved. The last major conflict occurred on September 16th 2022, as a result of which hundreds of people were killed and injured on both sides, and massive damage was caused to the infrastructure in Sughd and Batken. The Presidents of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, Emomali Rahmon and Sadyr Japarov, have repeatedly discussed delimitation of the border. The situation in the disputed areas is also closely monitored by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). In recent years, the authorities of the two countries have been actively negotiating to resolve this issue. Meetings have been held alternately on the territory of the two republics. Currently, more than 90%, or about 885 km of the border has been mutually recognized by States.

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WFP to Help Tajikistan Strengthen Food Security

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Tajikistan on December 14th signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen their cooperation on addressing food and nutrition security for 2023 to 2026, the UNDP website stated. The MoU was signed by Adham Musallam, the WFP Representative and Country Director in Tajikistan, and Sirojiddin Muhriddin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan. “The new CSP, valued at U$ 91 million, is designed to support the government’s priorities for achieving food security and broadening access to high-quality nutrition by 2030,” said WFP Representative Musallam. “Under the new CSP, the emphasis will be on supporting livelihoods, improving agricultural production, enhancing health, education, and nutrition, as well as strengthening national institutions and systems.” This MoU sets the foundation for the WFP Tajikistan Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023–2026, which harmonizes with the nation’s objectives in enhancing food and nutrition security, bolstering capacities, and offering technical aid to the government’s social protection initiatives.

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Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Demarcate More Than 90% of Border

Following a meeting between government delegations, Chairmen of the National Security Committee of Kyrgyzstan, Kamchybek Tashiyev, and Tajikistan, Saimumin Yatimov, released a statement announcing that over 90% of the border between the two countries has now been agreed upon. “As a result of the work of the intergovernmental commission, agreements were reached on the harmonization of most of the state border - more than 90%,” Tashiyev said. “Work on the remaining sections will be completed soon, starting with Kayragach, Kulundu, Maksat, Arka, Arka-1, Arka-2, Zhany-Zher and up to Zhiydelik. The Working Group has fully completed the coordination. At the moment, we have almost completed work on the disputed areas about which there were questions." According to Tashiyev, several more meetings will be necessary to complete the demarcation and delimitation of the state border. In turn, Yatimov noted that vital issues were discussed at the meeting of the delegations. “There is a common interest, common goals, and common causes between the two states,” he said. “This is the security and socio-economic development of our states. A lot of work has been done today - we have advanced more than 120 kilometers, and have agreed on these issues in principle. If we take the total length of the state border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, Kamchybek Kydyrshayevich and I can confirm that over 90% of the state border has been agreed. We are really close to solving these issues.”

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ADB $40 Million Grant to Strengthen STEM Secondary Education in Tajikistan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on December 8th approved a $40 million grant to help the Government of Tajikistan strengthen science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects in secondary education, including developing climate change awareness and promoting girls’ participation in STEM studies, the ABD announced in a news release on its website. “Enhancing STEM education is vital for preparing students for sectors such as transport, manufacturing, construction, and information and communication technology, which will contribute significantly to poverty reduction and sustainable development in Tajikistan,” said ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov. “As Tajikistan is highly vulnerable to climate impacts, it is also essential to integrate climate change knowledge and best practices into general education to strengthen the country’s resilience against climate-induced hazards.” The project will improve STEM teaching and learning methods in Grades 5–11 by adopting a skills-based approach that will help students develop abilities such as critical analysis and collaboration to enable them to solve real-world problems. It will train STEM teachers and modernize learning materials. The project will upgrade the facilities of 20 selected schools in four regions and improve school management. It will also support the inclusion of climate change-related topics into the STEM curricula and learning materials. The project will directly benefit 11,500 students—including 5,600 girls—in targeted schools, as well as about 4,000 STEM teachers and college students training to become STEM teachers, education officials, school management staff, and communities in project areas. “We are the first development partner to help Tajikistan tackle its STEM teachers’ shortage, integrate climate change into secondary education, and shape an enabling environment for girls and women to pursue STEM fields,” said ADB Principal Social Sector Specialist Xin Long. “To expand girls’ participation in STEM studies and help steer more women’s careers towards high-productivity sectors, the project will offer stipends and scholarships to girls studying at the schools and higher education institutions targeted by the project. It will also prioritize women STEM teachers and teacher candidates for information and communication technology courses.”