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As on 02 January 2025

India-Tajikistan Bilateral Relations 

        Relations between India and Tajikistan have traditionally been close and cordial. Since establishing 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 facilitated cultural exchanges and people-to-people relationship between both countries. In August 2022, India and Tajikistan celebrated 30 years of establishment of diplomatic relations with exchanges of greetings and organization of special events and to mark the occasion.

 

Political Relation

President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the successful parliamentary elections and the formation of his new government for a consecutive third term on 10 June 2024. In his message, President Rahmon emphasized joint efforts to expand friendly relations and multifaceted cooperation between both countries.

Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin sent a separate congratulatory message to his counterpart, Dr. S. Jaishankar, on his re-assumption of charge of the External Affairs Ministry in the new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 June 2024.

President Emomali Rahmon and Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin both participated in the Voice of the Global South Summit 3.0, held in virtual format, and hosted by India on 17 August 2024.

Former President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, paid a State Visit to Tajikistan from 07 to 09 October, 2018. A total of eight bilateral documents were signed during the visit. President Kovind also announced a grant of USD 20 million for development projects in Tajikistan. The grant of USD 20 million was utilized by the Tajik side to finance a project for the construction of an 8-lane highway, which was successfully completed in April 2023.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tajikistan on 12-13 July 2015.  During the visit of Prime Minister, the two sides decided to step up cooperation in the spheres of defence, connectivity and in fight against terrorism. Prime Minister Modi again met President Rahmon on 24 June 2016 on the sidelines of SCO Summit in Tashkent and thereafter on 9 June 2018 on the sidelines of SCO Summit in Qingdao, China. Prime Minister Modi virtually attended the SCO Summit held in Dushanbe in September 2021. 

Tajikistan President Mr. Emomali Rahmon has paid six visits to India in 1995, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2012 and 2016. During his last visit to India on 14-18 December 2016, President Rahmon met the then President Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Vice President Shri Hamid Ansari. President Rahmon virtually participated in the 1st India-Central Asia Summit (ICAS) held on 27 January 2022. 

External Affairs Minister and the Tajik Foreign Minister have been meeting regularly in the recent years. Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, visited Tajikistan on 16-17 September 2021 to attend the 21st Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of States and joint meeting of the SCO-CSTO Outreach on Afghanistan. Prime Minister addressed both the meetings virtually.  

EAM earlier visited Tajikistan on 13-15 July 2021 to take part in the Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of SCO member states and SCO-Afghan contact group. He also paid an official visit to Tajikistan on 29 March-01 April 2021 and took part in the 9th Ministerial Meeting of Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process. Earlier, he visited Tajikistan on 14-15 June 2019 to attend the 5th Summit Meeting of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. The last meeting of EAM and Tajik FM took place on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Astana in July 2024.  

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

Cooperation in International Forums/initiatives 

Tajikistan supported India's bid for UNSC permanent membership in the joint statement issued on 8 October 2018 during the state visit of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind. 

Earlier, Tajikistan supported SCO Member status for India. India supported Tajikistan's accession to WTO in March 2013. India has consistently supported Tajikistan's proposals at UN on water related issues. India also supported Tajikistan's candidature to ECOSOC.

 

Human Capacity Building

Since establishment of the Indian Embassy in Dushanbe in 1994, Tajikistan has been a beneficiary of Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC). After the State visit of President Shri Ramnath Kovind to Tajikistan in October 2018, the number of ITEC slots for Tajikistan was enhanced from 150 to 200. The ITEC slots allotted in present Financial Year are 230. Additionally, Indian Council of Cultural Research (ICCR) provides 30 scholarships to Tajik citizens annually.

 

Connectivity, Trade & Economic Relation

Indian exports to Tajikistan mainly consist of pharmaceuticals, medical preparations, sugar, rice, communication devices/equipment, and machinery. India is the largest supplier of pharmaceutical products in the Tajik market. However, not all pharmaceutical products are directly imported from India and some of them arrive via Russia and UAE. 

Different types of ores, slag and ash, aluminum, organic chemicals, herbal oils, dried fruits and cotton are exported to India by Tajikistan. 

Bilateral trade figures of the last few years are as follows: 

Indian Exports to Tajikistan (source DoC, GOI): million USD      

2015-16

2016-17

 

2017-18

2018-19

 

2019-20

2020-21

 

2021-22

2022-23

2023-

24

Apr 2024-Oct 2024

22.26

20.44

23.94

22.28

23.50

53.45

35.35

49.40

51.64

22.61

 

Indian Import from Tajikistan (source DoC, GOI): million USD 

2015-16

2016-17

 

2017-18

 

2018-19

 

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-

24

Apr 2024-Oct 2024

9.98

21.82

50.29

4.24

0.29

1.06

10.74

0.52

0.01

0

             

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 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 bagged a contract worth approximately USD 22 million for construction of electric transmission lines under ADB financing and finished the project in early 2017. The company won another project worth USD 35 million in 2017 under CASA-1000 power transmission project.

(v)      M/s Tata Power is providing management services for the Tajikistan Distribution Company under a contract with the Open Joint Stock Company Electricity Distribution Networks (OJSCEDN) for five year period from January 2022 to January 2027.

(vi)     Besides, there are other small private projects/companies/clinics, 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:

(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 flashfloods 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 Relation

India and Tajikistan share strong historical, cultural and linguistic ties. There is great liking for Indian culture in Tajikistan. Films and TV serials dubbed in Russian and Persian language are routinely shown on local TV channels.

To further deepen and widen these cultural linkages, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Dushanbe conducts regular courses in Indian music, classical Indian dance forms, yoga and Hindi language.

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. 

ICCR has established a Hindi-Urdu Chair in the Tajik National University since January 2019. 

The Embassy orgainses annual India-Tajikistan Friendship Run in Dushanbe. The 3rd edition of the Friendship Run was held in November 2024. The Dushanbe City Administration and the National Committee of Youth and Sports of Tajikistan supported the event. 

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 has e-visa regime for Tajik citizens. The Indian visa regime for Tajikistan is liberal. A majority of Tajiks travels to India on e-visa for tourism or medical treatment purpose. The Embassy issues visas to Tajik nationals within two working days.

There is a designated Community Welfare Office to look after the general issues of the Indian Community, including Indian students, residing in Tajikistan. The helpline of the Embassy for Indian citizens functions on 24*7 basis. 

Indian Community in Tajikistan 

The total number of NRIs is estimated about 1600, out of which about 1200 are students pursuing medical courses at various medical institutes/universities in Tajikistan. Apart from Indian students, approx. 250 skilled workers/technical experts/engineers work at various infrastructure projects in Tajikistan, and approx. 150 Indian professionals are employed with international organizations/banks/hotels etc. There is a small Indian business community mainly involved in pharmaceutical businesses.

 

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/


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