Tajikistan lies in the heart of central Asia bordered by Kyrgyzstan on the north, china on the east, Afghanistan on south and Uzbekistan on the west.
It was a constituent part of the former Soviet Union and gained freedom from it on the disintegration of the union in 1991. Its capital is Dushanbe.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations on 28 August 1992, regular high-level visits between the two countries have further cemented the bilateral ties.
Areas of Cooperation
Exchange of high level visits between the two countries has served to cement bilateral ties. Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee had visited Tajikistan in 2003.
President Pratibha Patil paid a State visit to Tajikistan in September 2009. Vice-President Shri Hamid Ansari visited Tajikistan in 2013. The latest visit to the country was that of PM Narendra Modi in 2015.
Shri Ram Nath Kovind, President of Republic of India paid a State visit to Tajikistan on 7-9 October 2018. Both the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further expand and strengthen the strategic partnership for peace and stability of the two countries and the region. Both leaders also emphasized the cultural affinity between the two countries and noted significance of the Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) 2016-18 for training programs and other activities.
President of India announced allocation of a grant of USD 20 Million to Tajikistan for implementation of mutually identified and viable development projects.
India and Tajikistan elevated their bilateral relations to the level of a “Strategic Partnership” during the visit of President Rahmon to India in 2012.
India and Tajikistan actively cooperate with each other under the aegis of Multilateral Fora, including SCO and the UN organizations.Tajikistan is supportive of India’s permanent membership to UNSC. In 2020, Tajikistan extended support for India’s candidature for a non-permanent seat in UNSC for the term 2021-22. India extended support to Tajikistan’s accession to WTO. India has consistently supported Tajikistan’s proposals at the UN on water-related issues. India also supported Tajikistan’s candidature to ECOSOC.
In area of defence cooperation, India has upgraded the Ayni Air Base in Tajikistan as well as operated a field medical unit at Farkhor Air base.
After the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, India provided humanitarian medical assistance to Tajikistan.
The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline.
Cultural & People-to-People Relation
India and Tajikistan share strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties. There is a great liking for Indian culture and films and films and TV serials dubbed in the Russian language are routinely shown on local TV channels.
To further deepen and widen these cultural linkages, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Dushanbe offers courses in Kathak and Tabla through teachers deployed by ICCR from India. The center also offers Hindi language classes.
Mutual Benefits
The two countries have huge potential to work on the bilateral defence and security cooperation as Tajikistan is located in close proximity to Pakistan occupied Kashmir, and therefore, holds a geo-strategic importance.
Both sides shall benefit by enhancing the connectivity proposed in the North South transport corridor which will bring economic growth that is mutually profitable.
International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) in combination with Ashgabat Agreement on International Transport and Transit Corridor (ITTC) is enhancing connectivity between India and the Central Asian countries.
Both countries have common concerns in security arena, particularly in the context of the security transition in Afghanistan after the departure of International troops from that country .
Tajikistan is second largest producer of hydroelectricity in the Commonwealth of Independent States after Russia, and has the largest water resource in the region. This makes the country useful for India to harness the potential in the hydroelectric sector.
Future Prospects
The two countries shall explore the possibility of establishing transport corridor including rail lines in cooperation with other countries of the region. There is a need to enhance trade and investment. India shall explore investment opportunity in free economic zones in Tajikistan, especially in Information Technology, Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology, textiles, leather, goods and mining.
The two sides shall collaborate for capacity building in Tajikistan in the area of application of space technology for human development. Cooperation shall deepen in the farm sector for self-sufficiency in food and engagement for sustainable generation and distribution of energy for regional development. Increase in the number and frequency of flights has become a necessity to increase people to people contacts.
