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Электронное приложение к журналу «Международная жизнь»
Author : I. Lyakin-Frolov
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Tajik-
istan
IN THE SPRING OF 2017, we will celebrate the 25th an-
niversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations be-
tween the Russian Federation and the Republic of
Tajikistan. The above period is characterized by a lot of
important developments in the relations between the two
countries, and a solid groundwork has also been laid for a
progressive development of multifaceted bilateral interac-
tion in the future. In this context, I would like to share with
the readers my vision of what have been achieved in the
past 25 years, as well as of the future prospects for the
Russian-Tajik relations.
To begin with, I would like to emphasize that the relations between our two peoples were established
long before the aforementioned historical date: Russia and Tajikistan have a centuries-old tradition of
the most intense interaction and time-tested relations of enduring friendship.
Being Tajikistan's sincere friend, Russia has always been rendering the republic its full-fledged support,
including in times of trial. Owning largely to the efforts of the Russian Federation, Tajikistan was able
to stop a violent fratricidal war which had been plaguing the country in 1992-1997, thereby creating
the prerequisites for the establishment of sustainable peace and national accord. Tajik people well re-
member Russian military personnel and border guards, who laid down their lives for the sake of peace
and security in the country.
Russia's leading positions in military and military-technical cooperation with Tajikistan are largely ex-
plained by the two countries' traditional ties, the prevalence of Russian - and Soviet-made weapons and
military equipment in the Tajik army, and manning of the command staff of Tajikistan's Armed Forces
with cadres educated and trained in military educational establishments of the Russian Federation. The
needs of Tajikistan's army in military goods are satisfied within the framework of coordinated plans to
modernize Tajikistan's Armed Forces with the help of Russia.
Cooperation in the immigration field is another priority issue in Russian-Tajik relations, which is largely
explained by the fact that a significant number of Tajik citizens go to Russia to earn their living. In
some years the moneys sent home by labor migrants exceeded $4 billion, which is equal to almost a
half of Tajikistan's GDP. Against the background of the emergent crisis tendencies, the volume of
money transfers from the Russian Federation went down, although the available data indicate that the
overall number of Tajik labor migrants working in Russia, has not decreased significantly.
Summing up the above, we should emphasize that, in the 25 years of Tajikistan's independent existence
the ties between our two countries have not grown week; rather, they have continued to strengthen and
develop in every area. We are convinced that our two fraternal peoples are sincerely interested in pro-
moting them.
Cooperation Between Russia and Tajikistan: Present and Future