Politics - The Times Of Central Asia

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Tajikistan and Kuwait Sign Nine Cooperation Agreements

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon began his official visit to Kuwait on November 3. He met with the country’s leaders and finalized agreements to strengthen bilateral cooperation. Following discussions, Tajikistan and Kuwait signed nine key documents to enhance their collaboration, the President’s press service reports. In the presence of Rahmon and Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, both sides signed: • A Memorandum of Cooperation between the Foreign Ministries of Tajikistan and Kuwait’s Diplomatic Academy; • A protocol to amend the double taxation agreement between the two countries; • A memorandum on labor regulation in the private sector; • Agreements on trade and industrial cooperation; • A cooperation agreement between Tajikistan’s National Information Agency “Khovar” and Kuwait’s State Information Agency “KUNA”; • Memorandums covering sports, standardization, and physical culture; • An executive tourism program for 2024-2026. Rahmon is quoted as saying: “We are ready to take practical steps to strengthen our relations further.” The discussions emphasized the importance of increasing the intergovernmental joint commission’s activities and establishing an Entrepreneur Council and a Joint Investment Fund between the two nations. Rahmon also thanked Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir Al-Sabah for the Kuwait Development Fund’s support of critical projects in Tajikistan, particularly in road construction, energy, and irrigation. Additionally, both leaders discussed expanding Kuwaiti investment into Tajikistan’s light, food, metallurgy, pharmaceutical, and agriculture industries. The Emir of Kuwait recognized Rahmon’s initiatives in empowering women and shared Kuwait’s similar efforts, highlighting recent appointments of women to senior government roles. The signed memorandum on private-sector labor regulation was celebrated as a step toward cooperation, further solidifying the growing partnership between Tajikistan and Kuwait.

Tajik Opposition Calls for Global Action Against Rahmon Regime’s Human Rights Violations

According to Azda TV, the Tajik opposition movement “Reform and Development of Tajikistan” has appealed to the governments of the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, and countries of the EU, to support efforts for peaceful and constructive dialogue between the Tajik opposition and President Emomali Rahmon’s government. The movement called the global community to help resolve the crisis in Tajikistan, where Rahmon’s regime targets political opposition, civil society, and independent media. They highlighted human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and the persecution of journalists, activists, and lawyers. Sharofiddin Gadoev, the movement’s leader, called for key goals, such as freeing political prisoners, ending the repression of journalists and activists, ensuring free speech, and having an independent press. He also called for laws in Tajikistan to meet international human rights standards and for free, fair elections involving all political groups. In this regard, the movement “Reform and Development of Tajikistan” called on the international community for “coordinated actions to protect human rights and support democratic processes in Tajikistan, as well as to strengthen political pressure on Emomali Rahmon.” The movement has said: “Tajikistan is a country with a young population. For this generation, the absence of democratic alternatives and opportunities leads to the risk of radicalization. This vacuum of democratic choice can be used by extremist groups, which threatens not only Tajikistan but all of Central Asia. The country may be on the verge of destabilization in the ongoing crisis and the lack of effective reforms. This will create a stream of refugees and strengthen extremist movements, which will become a serious challenge in the field of security.” The movement is calling on the International Criminal Court to investigate Rahmon’s regime of serious crimes like torture and disappearances. They have asked for help before, urging the release of political prisoners and an end to repression, but so far, the Tajik government has ignored these calls, and human rights abuses continue.

Navigating Afghan-Pakistani Conflict: Central Asia’s Mediating Role in Regional Stability

Recently, there has been a significant increase in tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with both sides regularly exchanging accusations. In addition to this, border conflicts have become more frequent, with border crossings periodically closed. According to Modern Diplomacy, both countries are in a state of quite severe political conflict, and distrust and hostility from the Afghan population towards Pakistan is growing even though the "victory of the Taliban and the reincarnation of the Islamic Emirate... should have been a victory for Pakistan and strengthened its position in the region.” The confrontation between the two neighbors in South Asia is a source of concern for other countries in the region, especially for the Central Asian republics, which are increasingly acquiring the status of independent players in their dealings with Afghanistan. Due to their proximity, these republics to varying degrees link their development with a stable Afghanistan designed to become a bridge to South Asia. Negative dynamics in Afghan-Pakistani relations are a cause of much wringing of hands. Pakistan was among the first states to recognize the independence of the former Soviet Central Asian republics and has dynamic ties with them. Pakistan's trade turnover with the region is roughly $500 million annually, most of which comes from imports to Pakistan. The nations are linked by the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA), the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, the CASA-1000 energy project, and the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan Railway Project. The majority of these projects use Afghanistan as a bridge between Central Asia and Pakistan. In this regard, the countries of Central Asia are interested in a political situation which excludes confrontational approaches; none of them are interested in further destabilization in Afghanistan. In the Central Asian republics, there is a well-established understanding of Pakistan's exceptional and particularly important role in Afghanistan’s stability. Pakistan has a defining influence on security in Afghanistan and has historically been the most integrated in Afghan issues at the level of political and multi-ethnic conflicts. Pakistan is linked to its neighbor by historical and socio-cultural ties. In reality, however, a different story is emerging. At both a global and regional level, active measures out of Islamabad set to discredit the de facto Taliban-led government of Afghanistan have been observed. Islamabad has undertaken a robust information campaign, which has put forward an entrenched narrative about Afghanistan being one of the world’s major sources of terrorism. In this information war, Islamabad, being a fully-fledged member of the international community, has clear advantages and has used all available tools, including access to global platforms. Islamabad also has access to specialized committees and departments of the UN, which regularly prepare reports on the situation in Afghanistan. Unsurprisingly, it has used these to include ideas favorable its' position on the world stage. Acting as a source of information, Islamabad has presented its point of view, which the international community has largely accepted as objective information. However, it does not provide specific data, such as the size of terrorist groups or the location of their training camps....

Tashkent Teacher at Center of Political Debate Arrested for Second Violent Outburst

The Times of Central Asia previously reported that оn September 23, a teacher at a school in Tashkent’s Chilonzor district was filmed slapping a student when the child asked for the Russian language class to be taught in Russian. The Children’s Ombudsman of Uzbekistan, Surayyo Rahmonova, has begun an investigation into the incident. The spokesperson for Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, said that she was worried about the content of the video published online, and asked Uzbekistan to make a legal assessment of this incident. In response, Alisher Qodirov, the leader of Uzbekistan’s Milli Tiklanish (National Revival) party and deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament, urged Russia not to interfere in Uzbekistan's domestic affairs, commenting that “it would be better for [Russia] to deal with their own affairs [which are] full of problems than to deal with our internal issues." Russian Senator Andrei Klimov reponded to Qodirov’s statement, saying that “inter-ethnic relations are very delicate” between Uzbeks and Russians. He called the teacher’s actions “an offense, maybe more” and expressed bewilderment at Qodirov’s remarks. The teacher has since committed other offenses. On September 24, she went to her daughter’s school in another district of Tashkent, where she argued with the school administration and used physical force against the deputy director. When officers from the National Guard and the Interior Administration intervened to restore order, the teacher resisted their demands. She was later sentenced to seven days of administrative detention and fined.

Fallout From Assault on Tashkent Schoolboy Reaches Russian Foreign Ministry

On September 23 a teacher at a school in Tashkent's Chilonzor district slapped a student when the child asked for the Russian language class to be taught in Russian. The Children’s Ombudsman of Uzbekistan, Surayyo Rahmonova, has begun an investigation into the incident -- but not before news of the assault reached Russia. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that she was concerned about the content of a video of the slap that was posted on social media. “We have requested official clarification from the Uzbek side,” Zakharova commented. “The Uzbek side is urgently asked to give the media material a legal assessment and, if justified, to take action against the perpetrator of cruel treatment of the child. We are keeping this issue under the closest attention.” The leader of Uzbekistan’s Milli Tiklanish (National Revival) party and deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament, Alisher Qodirov commented on Telegram that “it would be better for [Russia] to deal with their own affairs [which are] full of problems than to deal with our internal issues. The violation of rights of an Uzbek child at a school in Uzbekistan will be investigated in accordance with Uzbek laws.” A vocal critic of Russian influence, earlier this year Qodirov proposed a ban on the provision of public services to persons who don’t speak the Uzbek, and the promotion of Soviet ideology and symbols in Uzbekistan.

Central Asian Countries Hold Second Inter-Parliamentary Forum, Adopt Khiva Declaration

The second inter-parliamentary forum of Central Asian countries was held in Khiva, Uzbekistan on 12 September. It was attended by political representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, members of youth parliaments, and local and international mass media. Topics addressed at the forum included new forms of interparliamentary cooperation between Central Asian countries, and recommendations for increasing the role of women and young people in the region's socio-economic development. The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Central Asia, Kaha Imnadze, commented: “This forum once again confirms Uzbekistan's important role in strengthening regional cooperation, as well as in ensuring peace and security.” Imnadze added that the UN is ready to strengthen cooperation with Central Asia in areas such as the use of transboundary waters, the melting of glaciers, gender equality, and youth activism. The forum's results resulted in the adoption of the Khiva Declaration, which will serve as the basis for the future cooperation of Central Asian countries within the framework of inter-parliamentary initiatives. The first inter-parliamentary forum of Central Asian countries was held last year in Turkestan, Kazakhstan. The event led to the adoption of the Turkestan Declaration.