9th Ministerial Conference “Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process”

The 9th Ministerial Conference "Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process" under the title "Strengthening Consensus for Peace and Development" was held in Dushanbe on March 30, 2021.

The high-level Conference was attended by the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Foreign Ministers, and representatives of 15 participating countries, including the Republic of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Qatar, Kazakhstan, India, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China, Russia in the format of presence and 16 donor countries, 16 regional and international organizations in the online format.

This process is aimed at strengthening regional security, economic and political cooperation with Afghanistan through dialogue and confidence-building measures. The regional dialogue began with cooperation in the fight against common threats, including terrorism, drugs, poverty, and extremism.

The forum was opened by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Muhammad Ashraf Ghani.

At the beginning of his speech, Head of State Emomali Rahmon emphasized that Tajikistan and Afghanistan have long-term historical ties in various fields. The glorious people of this fraternal country share our language and culture, and our common historical roots go back thousands of years.

Thus, it is natural that we are not indifferent to the fate of our Afghan brothers. “Every pain and suffering of the Afghan people resonate in the hearts of the Tajik people,” said President Emomali Rahmon.

It should be noted that the Leader of the Nation Emomali Rahmon has repeatedly called on the world community to provide assistance to solve the Afghan issue at several summits on Afghanistan since the crisis in this country is considered as an international problem.

Head of State Emomali Rahmon stressed the importance of the activities and status of the "Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process" from the moment of its creation in 2011 to the present day.

Tajikistan fully supports the implementation of a comprehensive international strategy to ensure stability and restore peace in Afghanistan.

“We are confident that today's event in Dushanbe will become a new stimulus for solving Afghan issue and introducing new mechanisms to rebuild the country,” said Emomali Rahmon and expressed confidence that the new initiatives and proposals of the international community will further strengthen the mechanisms of cooperation and aid to Afghanistan.

As a result of the Conference, the Dushanbe Declaration was adopted.