Dear Khayriddin Usmonzoda,

Distinguished participants, dear guests,

Welcome!

For us, it is a great honor to welcome you to today’s event dedicated to the issues of deepening the allied relations between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and their role in strengthening regional cooperation.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all participants of this meeting, and first and foremost to our colleagues from Tajikistan, many of whom have joined us online, as well as to those who are attending the event in person.

Today’s meeting is made especially meaningful by the fact that it is being held during the holy month of Ramadan, sacred to all Muslims–a time of spiritual purification, compassion, mutual assistance, and the strengthening of brotherly ties among people. These values are particularly close to the peoples of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, who are united by a millennia-old history, a shared culture, and centuries-old traditions of good-neighborliness.

We have also gathered today on the eve of Navruz, the ancient symbol of the renewal of nature, peace, and harmony. This bright holiday has long united the peoples of Central Asia, embodying the aspiration for mutual understanding, friendship, and creative endeavor.

I am confident that holding our conference during such a special period lends it additional meaning and symbolism, contributing to the strengthening of mutual trust, the expansion of dialogue, and the further development of Uzbekistan-Tajikistan cooperation.

Dear colleagues,

Thanks to the political will and mutual trust of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, cooperation between our two countries has been developing dynamically and now encompasses virtually all key areas – from trade and investment to transport, energy, industrial cooperation, as well as humanitarian and cultural ties.

A particularly important milestone was the signing of the Treaty on Allied Relations in 2024, which laid the foundation for a new qualitative stage of bilateral engagement. Tajikistan became the third country with which Uzbekistan has established allied relations.

Thanks to close cooperation, recent years have seen positive momentum in the trade and economic sphere. Thus, according to the results of 2025, bilateral trade turnover amounted to $912 million, increasing by 30% compared to the same period of the previous year. During bilateral negotiations at the highest level, an agreement was reached to raise the volume of mutual trade to $2 billion.

At the same time, investment and industrial cooperation are developing actively. More than 410 joint ventures are currently operating in our country, implementing over 100 projects in key sectors of the economy. Interregional cooperation is expanding, while cooperative ties between the business communities of the two countries are being strengthened, thereby creating a solid foundation for a long-term partnership.

Within the framework of the Treaty, agreements were reached on expanding trade and economic ties, enhancing cooperation in transport and air connectivity, simplifying visa and border procedures, and promoting cultural and humanitarian exchange.

These measures have significantly improved the daily lives of citizens and strengthened mutual understanding between our peoples. The simplified border-crossing regime has considerably reduced the time required to complete formalities and has contributed to the development of business and tourism exchanges.

This is further evidenced by the fact that in 2025, Uzbekistan welcomed approximately 11.7 million foreign tourists – 47% more than in 2024. Among them, citizens of Tajikistan ranked second, with more than 2.7 million visitors.

At the same time, the number of flights has increased. Whereas ten years ago there was only one flight per week, today up to 10 regular routes are in operation, including direct flights connecting Tashkent, Samarkand, and Dushanbe.

Cooperation in the fields of culture and education is also developing actively. In Uzbekistan, the Republican Tajik National Cultural Center operates alongside regional centers in nine regions; education in the Tajik language is provided in 253 schools, and Tajik-language groups have been established at universities.

In the mass media, there are four print publications, five television programs, and around thirty radio programs in the Tajik language. In 2025, representatives of Uzbekistan took part in the World Youth Navruz Festival in Dushanbe, while the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre named after Alisher Navoi performed on the stage of the Sadriddin Ayni Theatre, marking a new milestone in bilateral cultural cooperation.

At the same time, the monuments to the poets Alisher Navoi and Jami in Samarkand and Dushanbe symbolize the historical and spiritual bond between the peoples of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Particular importance is attached to the development of multilateral cooperation. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan actively engage within regional and international organizations, including the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia, the SCO, the CIS, and the United Nations.

Cooperation within the framework of the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia has acquired special significance. Tajikistan was among the first to support the initiative to convene these Consultative Meetings. In this context, the 5th Consultative Meeting, held in Dushanbe in 2023, was of particular importance.

At that meeting, a decision was taken to establish the Council of National Coordinators as a permanent mechanism for preparing and implementing the agreements reached by the Heads of State. The launch of this mechanism made it possible to lend the format greater consistency and to ensure continuity in the implementation of joint initiatives. Interparliamentary dialogue has also been established, along with regular meetings at the level of the Secretaries of the Security Councils.

A logical continuation of this positive momentum was the adoption by the leaders of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan of the Khujand Declaration on Eternal Friendship–a significant development amid global turbulence, demonstrating the ability of the countries of the region to pursue joint solutions and effective peacebuilding.

The international community and international organizations welcomed the signing of this Declaration, noting it as an example of effective regional diplomacy and the strengthening of trust between neighboring states.

It is noteworthy that, shortly after the signing in Khujand of the Treaty on the Border Junction Point of the State Borders of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan officially acceded to the Treaty on friendship, good neighborliness and cooperation for the development of Central Asia in the XXI century, thereby expanding the legal and institutional framework for coordinated action by the countries of the region.

Distinguished participants of the conference,

Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have already demonstrated that when there is trust and political will, even the most complex issues can be resolved in a spirit of good-neighborliness and mutual respect. Today, we face an even more ambitious task – to transform the achieved level of allied relations into a long-term resource for the development not only of our two countries, but of Central Asia as a whole.

I am confident that today’s discussion will be substantive and practice-oriented – exactly as befits the format of a scientific and practical conference.

I wish all participants productive work, bold ideas, and a constructive exchange of views.

May cooperation between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan continue to flourish and prosper!