India-Tajikistan Bilateral Relations
Relations between India and
Tajikistan have traditionally been close and cordial. Since the establishment
of diplomatic relations on 28 August 1992, high-level visits between the two
countries have helped expanding bilateral ties. Deep-rooted historical and
cultural linkages have further facilitated cultural exchanges and
people-to-people relationship between the two countries. In August 2022, India
and Tajikistan celebrated 30 years of establishment of diplomatic relations by
organizing a series of special events to mark the occasion.
High-Level
Political Exchanges
President
of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on the successful parliamentary elections and the formation of
his government for a third consecutive term on 10 June 2024. In the message, he
emphasised joint efforts to strengthen friendly relations and multifaceted
cooperation between the two countries.
Foreign
Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin sent congratulatory message to his counterpart,
Dr. S. Jaishankar, on his re-assumption of charge of the External Affairs
Minister in the new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 June
2024.
Both
President Rahmon and Foreign Minister Muhriddin participated in the Voice of
the Global South Summit 3.0, hosted virtually by India on 17 August 2024.
High-Level
Visits and Meetings
Former
President of India Ram Nath Kovind paid a State Visit to Tajikistan from 7 to 9
October 2018. During the visit, eight bilateral agreements were signed and
President Kovind announced a USD 20 million grant for development projects. The
grant was used by Tajikistan to construct an 8-lane highway, which was
completed in April 2023.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi visited Tajikistan on 12–13 July 2015. During the visit,
the two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in defence, connectivity, and
counter-terrorism. Prime Minister Modi has also met President Rahmon several
times on the sidelines of SCO Summits, most recently on 31 August 2025 in
Tianjin, China.
President
Emomali Rahmon has visited India six times (1995, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2012, and
2016). During his last visit in December 2016, he met President Pranab
Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Vice President Hamid Ansari. He
also participated virtually in the first India-Central Asia Summit in January
2022.
The
External Affairs Minister and Tajik Foreign Minister meet regularly. Dr. S.
Jaishankar visited Tajikistan multiple times, including in March, July, and
September 2021 for SCO-related meetings. Their most recent meeting was held on
the sidelines of the 4th India-Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi in June 2025.
Recent
Engagements
Following the Pahalgam terror attack, President Emomali Rahmon conveyed
his deep condolences to the President and Prime Minister of India on April 23,
2025. In his message, President Rahmon strongly condemned the act of violence
in Jammu & Kashmir and reaffirmed Tajikistan's firm commitment to joint
counter-terrorism efforts.
On 19 November 2025, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin
conveyed similar condolences to External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar
following a terrorist incident near the Red Fort in Delhi. He strongly
condemned the attack and reiterated Tajikistan’s firm opposition to terrorism
in all its forms and manifestations.
In
2025-26, several high-level visits and meetings took place:
·
India’s Minister of State for
External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, visited Dushanbe from 29 to 31 May 2025
to attend the High-Level International Conference on Glacier Preservation.
·
Foreign Minister Sirojiddin
Muhriddin participated in the 4th India–Central Asia Dialogue in New Delhi on
5–6 June 2025 and called on Prime Minister Modi along with other Central Asian
ministers.
·
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh met
Tajik Defence Minister Lieutenant General Sobirzoda Emomali Abdurahim on the
sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in June 2025.
·
Tajikistan’s Deputy Secretary
of the National Security Council participated in the 3rd India–Central Asia
Meeting of National Security Advisers in October 2025.
·
Tajikistan’s Minister of Health
and Social Protection, Prof. Jamoliddin Abdullo Abdullozoda, visited New Delhi
in December 2025 to attend the Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional
Medicine.
·
Tajikistan’s Minister of
Industry and New Technologies, Sherali Kabir, attended the India AI Impact
Summit in February 2026 and held bilateral meetings with several Indian
ministers.
·
Tajikistan’s Minister of Energy
and Water Resources, Juma Daler Shafoqir, visited New Delhi in March 2026 for
the Bharat Electricity Summit and held discussions with Indian ministers and
industry leaders.
·
India’s Minister of State for
External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, visited Dushanbe on 12–13 June 2026 to
attend the SCO international conference organised by the Tajik side to mark the
25th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
The
two countries have following bilateral consultative mechanisms:
·
Foreign Office
Consultations
·
Joint Working Group on
Counter-Terrorism
·
Joint Commission on Trade,
Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation
·
JWG on Defence Cooperation
·
JWG on Peaceful Use of
Space Technology
·
JWG on Cooperation in the
Field of Renewable Energy
·
Bilateral Consular
Consultations
·
Dialogue between the
National Security Councils of both countries
The 4th round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC)
and the 12th round of the Joint Commission Meeting on Trade, Economic,
Scientific and Technical Cooperation were held on 1 April 2026 and 12 June
2026, respectively. These meetings provided important platforms to review the
entire spectrum of bilateral relations and explore new avenues for cooperation.
Cooperation
in International Forums/initiatives
Tajikistan supported India's bid for UNSC permanent
membership of the UN Security Council in the joint statement issued on 8
October 2018 during the state visit of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind to
Tajikistan.
India has consistently supported Tajikistan’s
multilateral initiatives on climate change, including the International Water
Conference and the International High-Level Conference on Glacier Preservation.
India has been represented at the Ministerial level at several of these
International Water Conferences and the Conference on Glacier preservations
held in Dushanbe.
Training and Capacity
Building
Since
the establishment of the Indian Embassy in Dushanbe in 1994, Tajikistan has been a beneficiary of the Indian
Technical & Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC). In the current financial year (2026-27), 230
ITEC slots have been allotted to Tajikistan. Additionally, the Indian Council
for Cultural Research (ICCR) provides 30 scholarships to Tajik citizens
annually, for higher education in the leading Indian universities and
institutes.
Connectivity, Trade &
Economic Relation
Bilateral trade figures of the
last few years are as follows:
Indian
Exports to Tajikistan (source DoC, GOI): million USD
|
2016-17
|
2017-18
|
2018-19
|
2019-20
|
2020-21
|
2021-22
|
2022-23
|
2023-
24
|
2024-25
|
2025-26
|
|
20.44
|
23.94
|
22.28
|
23.50
|
53.45
|
35.35
|
49.40
|
51.64
|
45.68
|
58.12
|
Indian
Import from Tajikistan (source DoC, GOI): million USD
|
2016-17
|
2017-18
|
2018-19
|
2019-20
|
2020-21
|
2021-22
|
2022-23
|
2023-
24
|
2024-25
|
2025-26
|
|
21.82
|
50.29
|
4.24
|
0.29
|
1.06
|
10.74
|
0.52
|
0.01
|
0.00
|
0.79
|
Private Investments and Projects
Important
Indian private investments/projects undertaken in Tajikistan are as follows:
(i) A 5-star
hotel constructed by M/s CHL Limited, India. The hotel was inaugurated by
President Emomali Rahmon in September 2014.
(ii) An
Indian company M/s KEC/RPG completed the construction of 116 KMs Long power
transmission line from Sangtuda-1 Hydropower plant to Afghan border in October
2010 under an ADB financed project.
(iii) BHEL
supplied a 7 MW generator to the Tajik company "Pamir Energy" in 2011
under a commercial contract.
(iv) Indian
Company M/s Kalpataru has been engaged for construction of electric
transmission lines and CASA-1000 power transmission project.
(v) M/s Tata
Power is providing management services for the Tajikistan Distribution Company
for five-year period from January 2022 to January 2027.
(vi) Besides,
there are other small private projects/companies/health clinics and hospitals,
which provide healthcare and other services in Tajikistan.
Development & Aid
Partnership
Since
Tajikistan's independence in 1991, India has played the role of a development
and aid partner for Tajikistan. A brief outline of the same is as follows:
(i) In
1995, India extended a credit line of USD 5 million to set up a pharmaceutical
plant (Ajanta Pharma). The Government of India thereafter converted the
principal amount along with the accrued interest of USD 3.37 million into a
grant during the visit of Prime Minister Vajpayee in November 2003.
(ii) A Fruit
Processing Plant was established with a grant of USD 0.6 million in Dushanbe by
M/s HMT in January 2005.
(iii) An
Information and Technology Centre (Bedil Centre) was commissioned with a grant
of USD 0.6 million in 2006. The project ran for full hardware cycle of 6 years
and trained almost all the first-generation IT experts in government sector in
Tajikistan.
(iv) A Modern
Engineering Workshop was commissioned with a grant of about USD 0.75 million on
02 June 2011. The project is running successfully.
(v) Bharat
Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation
(NHPC) undertook rehabilitation and modernization of a 1936 vintage Varzob-1
Hydro Power Station. After renovation, the installed capacity was enhanced from
2x3.67 MW to 2x4.75 MW. The rehabilitated Power Station was inaugurated on 28
December 2012.
(vi) A
project for setting up of computer labs in 37 schools in Tajikistan (announced
during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in July 2015) was completed at a
cost of USD 6,02,701/-.
(vii) Under
the USD 20 million grant announced during the State Visit of President of India
to Tajikistan in October 2018, construction of phase-I of an 8-lane highway
project from Chortut village to Ayni roundabout in Dushanbe was completed at a
cost of approximately USD 17.45 million. The highway was opened for public use
in April 2023.
In December 2021, India signed
an MoU with Tajikistan for Indian Grant Assistance for implementation of High
Impact Community Development Projects with a capital cost up to US$ 1.5 million
each.
Humanitarian Assistance
A list of humanitarian aid
and assistance provided by India to Tajikistan over the years is as follows:
(i) India
delivered USD 5 million worth of food assistance in 2001-02.
(ii) To
overcome a crisis caused by an unprecedented harsh winter in January-February
2008, India gave a grant of USD 2 million (USD 1 million as cash assistance and
USD 1 million in kind, such as power cables, generators and pump sets).
(iii) In June
2009, USD 200,000 cash assistance was given by India to overcome damage caused
by floods in April-May 2009.
(iv) After
flash floods in Kulyab province in May 2010, India provided USD 200,000
humanitarian cash assistance.
(v) After the
outbreak of Polio in southwest Tajikistan, India provided 2 million doses of
oral polio vaccine through UNICEF in November 2010.
(vi) In
September 2015, India granted USD 100,000 as humanitarian assistance to
Tajikistan for providing relief to the flood and mudslide-affected people of
GBAO (Pamir) and Rasht valley.
(vii) India
provided USD 100,000 to Tajikistan in March 2017 as humanitarian assistance for
natural disasters.
(viii) In March
2018, India gifted 10 ambulances to various regions of Tajikistan.
(ix) After the
outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, India provided humanitarian medical assistance to
Tajikistan. In May 2020, India provided 50,000 HCQ tablets and 100,000
Paracetamol tablets to Tajikistan, and sent another consignment of 4.6 tons of
medical supplies. In June 2020, India sent another 800 Kgs of medicines and
medical accessories to Tajikistan. India delivered an additional 698,500 doses
of Covid-19 vaccine, 'Covishield' (Astrazeneca) to Tajikistan on 30 November.
(x) In June
2022, India handed over the fully equipped 50-bed India-Tajikistan Friendship
Hospital (ITFH) to Tajikistan.
Cultural &
People-to-People Relations
India and Tajikistan share strong historical, cultural
and linguistic ties. There is great liking for Indian culture in Tajikistan.
Indian films and TV serials dubbed in Russian and Persian language are
routinely shown on local TV channels.
The Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Dushanbe
plays a pivotal role in promoting Indian culture through a wide range of events
and programmes. The Centre regularly conducts classes in Indian classical
dance, music, yoga, and Hindi.
Several India Study Corners have been set up by the
Embassy of India in prominent Universities/Institutions in Dushanbe and other
cities of Tajikistan to cater to the increasing demand for study of Indian
languages and Yoga in Tajikistan.
Since January 2019, the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations (ICCR) has established a Hindi-Urdu Chair at the Tajik National
University in Dushanbe. Additionally, youth delegations from Tajikistan have
regularly participated in the India-Central Asia Youth Forums hosted and
sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Youth Affairs
and Sports, Government of India.
The inscription of the ‘Culture of Sumanak (Sumalak)
cooking’ from Tajikistan on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Humanity during the 20th session of the UNESCO
Intergovernmental Committee, held in New Delhi on December 10, 2025, was well
received in Tajikistan.
Yoga is very popular among local people in Tajikistan.
The Indian cultural Centre offers regular Yoga classes. Every year,
International Day of Yoga is celebrated not only by the cultural centre but by
many private individuals/yoga centres across various cities and towns in
Tajikistan.
Consular Services
India offers an e-visa facility to Tajik citizens.
India maintains a modern and liberal visa regime for Tajik citizens, with visas
usually issued promptly within one to two working days. Most Tajik nationals
travel to India on e-visas for tourism, medical treatment, education or
business purposes. Tajikistan has also introduced an online visa system that
includes provisions for Indian nationals.
The Indian Embassy in Dushanbe has a dedicated
Community Welfare Officer and a Student Welfare Officer to address the welfare
and general concerns of the Indian Community, including Indian students,
residing in Tajikistan. The Embassy’s helpline for Indian citizens operates on
a 24*7 basis.
Indian
Community in Tajikistan
The Indian diaspora in Tajikistan is estimated at
approximately 2,150 individuals, of whom around 1,900 are students pursuing
medical studies at various universities and medical institutions. A small
Indian business community exists, while other members of the community are
employed in international organizations, education, banking, hospitality,
healthcare, and other sectors.
Useful Links
(i) Embassy website: https://www.eoidushanbe.gov.in
(ii) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndEmbDushanbe/
(iii) X: https://x.com/IndEmbDushanbe
(iv) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indiaindushanbe/
*****
As on 15 June 2026
EoI, Dushanbe
