President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday on a two-day visit at Prime Minister Imran Khan’s invitation.
At Nur Khan Airbase, he was greeted by Federal Minister Khusro Bakhtiyar.
The Tajik president is accompanied by a high-level team to address multilateral problems with Pakistani authorities.
In March, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi invited Rahmon to a meeting in Dushanbe on behalf of Prime Minister Khan.
Announcing the visit of President Rahmon, the Foreign Office said, “Tajikistan is important within the context of Pakistan’s vision for closer ties and enhanced cooperation with Central Asia. The vision emphasizes forging deeper trade, investment, energy, security, and people-to-people links.”
Pakistan’s bilateral relations with Tajikistan are marked by mutual respect, shared perspectives, and a shared goal to promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity.
Qureshi spoke with Tajikistan’s civil and military leadership at the 9th Heart of Asia — Istanbul Process Ministerial Conference in Dushanbe.
“Indeed our bilateral ties with Tajikistan are of great importance with the shared vision and goals of both Pakistan and Tajikistan leadership lending a strong foundation to build these further,” Qureshi had said at the time.
Pakistan has also granted Tajikistan access to its seaports, which provide the quickest path to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.
Pakistan has educated several Tajikistani military officers and top diplomats, and the government has said that it would welcome additional officers to Pakistan and has extended its readiness to teach and strengthen Tajikistan’s military capabilities.
PM Khan and President Rahmon will lead their respective delegations in delegation-level discussions during the visit.
Along with the Kyrgyz Republic and Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan are members of the CASA-1000 Transmission Line Project. The power project calls for excess electric power from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to be sent to Pakistan (1000MW) and Afghanistan (300MW).
Qureshi had assured Dushanbe of Pakistan’s commitment to CASA-1000 and its interest in seeing it completed on schedule since it was a project that benefited both Pakistan and the region.
“The two sides will exchange views on deepening bilateral cooperation in diverse areas — including political, economic, trade, investment, energy, security and defense, culture, education, and regional connectivity,” said the Foreign Office.
During the visit, a number of agreements/MoUs are likely to be inked. The visiting dignitary will meet with President Dr. Arif Alvi individually. The two nations have similar perspectives on significant regional and international problems and work closely together in a variety of multilateral forums.
Qureshi claims that both nations have a lot of potentials to boost bilateral trade and encourage investment, and he urges businesses and entrepreneurs from both nations to visit each other and invest in prospective business prospects.
The 5th round of Pakistan-Tajikistan Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) took place on May 25, 2021, at the level of foreign secretary/first deputy foreign minister, and covered the whole range of bilateral ties.
Pakistan has also emphasized the relevance of parliamentary exchanges since they establish significant links between policymakers from both administrations.
Since 1994, President Rahmon has visited Pakistan seven times. His most recent bilateral visit took place in November of 2015.
In a multilateral setting, President Rahmon visited Pakistan in March 2017 for the 13th ECO Summit, which was held in Islamabad. His upcoming visit will bolster both sides’ attempts to develop a long-term, multi-faceted alliance.
Following Agreements/MoUs have been signed between Pakistan and Tajikistan
• Academic Cooperation Agreement between Tajik Technical University named after academician M. S Osimi and Indus University of Pakistan
• Agreement on Cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of the Tajikistan and Chamber of Commerce & Industry Quetta Balochistan
• Agreement on Cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Pakistan
• Memorandum of Understanding between Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan.
• Memorandum of Understanding between Agency for State Financial Control & Struggle against Corruption of the Republic of Tajikistan and National Accountability Bureau of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
• Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for Cooperation in the Field of Prevention & Liquidation of Emergency Situations.
• Agreement between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in the field of Art and Culture.
• Memorandum of Understanding between Tajik Institute of Languages, Dushanbe Tajikistan, and National University of Modern Languages (NUML) Pakistan.
• Memorandum of Understanding between Technological University of Tajikistan and COMSATS University Islamabad
• Agreement on International Road Transport
• Cooperation Programme between Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Tajikistan
• Joint Declaration on Next Steps in Building Strategic Partnership for Regional Solidarity and Integration.
