Bilateral Relations - The Times Of Central Asia

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Moscow Attack Migrants Bilateral Relations

Lavrov Calls Tajik Counterpart to Smooth Over Cracks

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov has called his Tajik counterpart to explain Russia´s anti-terrorism measures at border points, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, following Tajikistan’s complaints that its citizens are being singled out for tough treatment on arrival at Moscow airports. Lavrov’s telephone call to Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin of Tajikistan was initiated by the Russian side, indicating that Moscow is seeking to ease tension between the two countries in the aftermath of the killing of more than 140 people by gunmen who stormed the Crocus City Hall on the outskirts of Moscow on March 22. Several Tajik suspects were arrested, leading to increased scrutiny and harassment of the large population of Tajik migrants in Russia. This past weekend, Tajikistan urged its citizens to temporarily refrain from traveling to Russia “unless absolutely necessary,” and said more than 1,000 Tajik nationals were being held in detention facilities at Moscow airports in unsanitary conditions and without access to hot meals. In the phone call, Lavrov and Muhriddin agreed on the need to preserve the “time-tested” alliance between their two countries, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Muhriddin has previously complained about an “information campaign” of racism and xenophobia against Tajik migrants since the terrorist attack. “The Tajik side was given additional detailed explanations about the measures taken by Russian services to prevent terrorism in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said. “The tragic events at Crocus City Hall became the main reason for more thorough checks of foreign citizens arriving to us. The temporary nature of the measures taken, their non-direction against a specific nation or religion, and the gradual normalization of the situation at checkpoints are especially emphasized.” The Islamic State group, which has recruited some people from Central Asia, claimed responsibility for the Crocus City Hall attack.

President Rahmon Bilateral Relations

President Rahmon Meets with Pope Francis

On April 26, the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon paid an official visit to the Vatican and met with Pope Francis. According to the press office of the Holy See, during the meeting the good relationship between the Holy See and Tajikistan was emphasized, and mention was made of some aspects of the country’s political and socioeconomic situation. Special attention was also paid to the importance of dialogue and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures for the promotion of peace and stability in the world. The Tajik president’s press service reported that President Rahmon stated that all conditions for tolerance and coexistence of representatives of all religions have been created in Tajikistan. The Tajik people, who have historically made a significant contribution to civilization with the development of science and literature, welcome any inter-religious and inter-civilizational dialogues, the Tajik leader said. Despite Rahmon's rhetirc, however, Tajikistan is a country where religion is often seen as a challenge to the government's authority, and it pays not to be too devout. In September 2015, clashes over the death in police custody of a man detained for "wearing his beard long" led to 17 fatalities. In that year alone, the police forcibly shaved 13,000 men's beards and shuttered over 160 shops selling Muslim clothing. Today, the authorities continue to surveil religious institutions. On his visit to the Holy See, Rahmon also met with Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin to discuss issues of strengthening and expanding bilateral cooperation. Satisfaction was expressed with the beginning of a new stage in the development of relations between Tajikistan and the Vatican. The conversation centered on issues of ensuring peace and stability, tolerance, harmony, and the strengthening of inter-cultural dialogue.

Bilateral Relations UK

Britain’s Cameron to Central Asia: Work with Us

Britain’s foreign secretary is in Central Asia this week, seeking deeper ties with a part of the world seen as increasingly vital to international security, energy flows and efforts to combat climate change. The trip, which David Cameron described as overdue, followed criticism that Britain had neglected what the envoy’s own office describes as a “pivotal region of the world.” Cameron´s visit comes months after a British parliamentary committee report said there was a perceived “lack of seriousness” in Britain’s engagement with Central Asia. The committee said Russia and China were courting the region, while Britain was “a leading enabler for corrupt Central Asian elites and a key node for capital flight out of the region.” Cameron spent the first day of his trip in Tajikistan, meeting President Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe and visiting the Nurek hydropower project, which supplies about 70% of the country’s electricity. He will also visit Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. “These countries aren’t often talked about in the U.K., so you might ask why,” Cameron said on Monday. “Well, these countries are sandwiched between China, Russia, Afghanistan and Iran. They’re making a choice of who to work with, and in a more competitive and contested world, if you want to protect and promote British interests, you need to get out there and compete.” Britain intends to provide investment funds for small businesses as well as “green” projects that can mitigate the effects of climate change, Cameron said. Without providing specifics, he told Tajik television that he and Rahmon discussed security and “all the difficulties and conflicts in the region.” The Islamic State group, which is said in some quarters to have increasingly recruited Central Asians into its ranks, claimed responsibility for the killing of more than 140 people by gunmen who attacked the Crocus City Hall in Moscow on March 22. Several Tajik migrants are among the detained suspects. Cameron will “advance discussions on sanctions circumvention, human rights and reform,” his office said. Britain is a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia, which has had success in dodging Western sanctions, partly by trading with Europe via Central Asia. For example, British firms´ exports to Kyrgyzstan have soared by over 1,100%, Sky News reported. “Major European economies are quietly continuing their economic cooperation with Moscow by circumventing sanctions to take advantage of the vacated market,” says a commentary in the Center for European Policy Analysis, which is based in Washington. “And they’re doing it by finding partners in the South Caucasus and Central Asia.” Cameron praised the Nurek Dam as an example of the kind of “great schemes” that can help reduce the use of coal-fired power plants and drive down carbon emissions by providing clean energy from Central Asia to South Asia under the CASA-1000 project. On the second leg of his tour, Cameron arrived in Kyrgyzstan later on April 22, where he met with President Sadyr Japarov. They exchanged views on the prospects for Kyrgyz-British cooperation in the political, trade,...

Uzbekistan Tajikistan Bilateral Relations

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan Sign Allied Relations Treaty

On April 18, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan met Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan in Dushanbe, where the two leaders signed a Treaty on Allied Relations between their countries. Referring to Tajikistan as Uzbekistan’s closest, most reliable, and time-tested strategic partner, Mirziyoyev announced, “The fraternal Uzbek and Tajik peoples are inextricably linked by strong bonds of centuries-old friendship. We are brought together by common history, cultural and spiritual values, traditions, and customs.” He went on to emphasize the enormous significance of the Treaty on Allied Relations saying, “With this step, we confirmed our strong mutual commitment to an irreversible course towards deepening the multifaceted Uzbek-Tajik strategic partnership and alliance. Without any exaggeration, this important document will mark a new historical milestone in bilateral relations.” Adding that the Treaty takes Tajik-Uzbek relations to a qualitatively new level, President Rahmon stated, “This document will also become an important factor in strengthening peace and stability in our region – Central Asia” On the eve of Mirziyoyev’s visit, a Tajik-Uzbek business forum resulted in a solid portfolio of new cooperation projects and trade contracts in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, energy, mining, agricultural, textile and pharmaceuticals industries. During the Tajik-Uzbek talks it was reported that in recent years, bilateral trade turnover has increased 40-fold and the number of joint ventures has grown 15-fold. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have now raised the bar by setting a target to increase trade turnover to $2 billion by expanding the exchange of supplies and launching cross-border trade zones.

Bilateral Relations Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan

Forthcoming Official Visit of Kyrgyz President to Kazakhstan

On April 9, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov attended a meeting in Bishkek with the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Akylbek Japarov, to discuss an official visit by the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov to Kazakhstan, on April 18-19. Akylbek Japarov emphasized the existing potential to increase the volume of trade turnover between the two countries which already amounts to $2 billion this year. In 2023, trade between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan amounted to $1.317 billion, an increase of 11.6% compared to 2022. Bektenov, in turn, stated Kazakhstan’s readiness to increase its exports by $260 million. The parties noted that the planned launch of an Industrial Trade and Logistics Complex on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border promised a multiplier effect and additional impetus to trade, economic, and investment cooperation. As the use of transboundary water resources for irrigation remains a vital issue in bilateral relations, the Kazakh prime minister emphasized the importance of approving operating modes of water management facilities for interstate use for the growing season of 2024. The meeting also addressed the need for collaboration to increase the transit capacity of the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border. The Concept for the Development of the Transit and Transport Potential of Kazakhstan, in place until 2030, covers the construction and reconstruction of checkpoints of Karasu, Besagash, Aukhatty, Sartobe, Aisha Bibi, Sypatai Batyr, and Kegen.

Bilateral Relations

Uzbekistan Working on Economic Reforms, Wants U.S. to Get More Involved

Uzbekistan’s ambassador to the United States says the relationship between the two countries is on a roll. “It’s a very promising time,” Ambassador Furqat Sidiqov said in Washington this week, adding that the two nations have a high level of “effective, open dialogue” as Uzbekistan seeks American investment and U.S. support for economic reforms and in other areas. Even difficult topics such as child labor and concerns about religious freedom in Uzbekistan are on the table, he said. American businesses stand to benefit from Uzbekistan’s push into information technology and other industries, Sidiqov said on Wednesday at a meeting of the Caspian Policy Center, a research center based in Washington. More than 100,000 Uzbeks are engaged in IT services; with most industry exports already go to the United States, a technology campus affiliated with Arizona State University will open this year in the Central Asian country, according to Sidiqov. The ambassador acknowledged that Uzbekistan faces challenges such as water scarcity, and that the country’s leaders hope U.S. and international institutions can help implement “smart technologies” that save water. Only 20% of Uzbekistan’s water comes from within the country – the rest coming from neighboring states - and the vast majority of water is used in agriculture, often inefficiently, according to the press office of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Uzbekistan is privatizing most of its banking industry, there are plans to relax the tax burden on foreign investors, and an anti-corruption push is underway. “Our main strategy is to minimize the role of the government in business,” said Sidiqov, a former deputy foreign minister who became ambassador to the U.S. last year. Sidiqov worked as a lower-ranking diplomat in the Washington embassy on two previous tours lasting a decade. Uzbekistan’s state-owned banks have made progress toward “more commercially-driven business models” since the unveiling of a banking reform plan in 2020, according to Fitch Ratings, the credit ratings agency. But “further improvements may take longer due to the sector’s deep-seated structural weaknesses and new risks,” the agency said in March. A U.S. congressional delegation recently returned from a trip that include a visit to Uzbekistan. The delegation, which included Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, met Mirziyoyev and his foreign and defense ministers. The Uzbek ambassador said a key development in ties between Central Asia and the United States came last year when U.S. President Joe Biden met leaders from the region in New York. The summit, dubbed “C5+1,” included the presidents of Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. They discussed security, economic development, climate change and efforts to promote peace. “For the first time in our history, the United States is seeing us as a region. Before, we were part of American policy toward Afghanistan, something like that,” said Sidiqov, adding that Central Asia would welcome a Biden visit. “We will be more than happy to organize that,” he said.