Bilateral Relations Between Tajikistan and Belgium

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of Belgium were established on April 29, 1992; already in April 1993, the Embassy of Belgium in Tajikistan (with residence in Kazakhstan) was opened.

The Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Belgium has been functioning since 2001.

The development of relations with the Kingdom of Belgium as one of the founding countries of the European Union and the residence of its main institutions is of particular importance for Tajikistan. Relations between Tajikistan and Belgium have been developed stably, and cooperation in political, economic and other areas of mutual interest has been established between the two countries.

The foundation for the development of amicable relations was laid in 2003 at the first high-level meeting between the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and King Albert II of Belgium during the first official visit of the President to Brussels.

Also, an important role in strengthening political relations played the exchange of official visits of the parties at various levels, including the official visits of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium Herman Van Rompe, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium Didier Reynders and Belgium Defence Minister Pieter De Crem, as well as representatives of the Belgian Parliament to Tajikistan during the years of cooperation. Other officials of Belgium visited Tajikistan for discussions on restoring stability in Afghanistan, developing cooperation in Central Asia and expanding bilateral relations between Tajikistan and Belgium.

An important tool for strengthening comprehensive relations is Political Consultations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of Belgium, the first meeting was held in Brussels in October 2017. The delegation of Tajikistan is represented at the level of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, and the delegation of Belgium is represented at the level of the Director General for Bilateral Relations of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

Inter-parliamentary relations are developing, as a result in 2011, a Memorandum of Understanding between the parliaments of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of Belgium was signed, and a Friendship Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union of Belgium and Tajikistan between the Majlisi Namoyandagoni Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Senate of the Kingdom of Belgium was established.

Economic cooperation

Cooperation between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of Belgium is actively developing in the spheres of economy and trade.

In 2011, the Belgium-Tajikistan Business Club was established in Brussels, which is a platform for maintaining contacts, where the economic and investment opportunities of the country are presented among the Belgian business community.

The volume of trade between Tajikistan and Belgium in 2021 amounted to 42.1 million euros. Exports to Belgium consisted of steel and textile products, while imports to Tajikistan consisted of chemicals and plastics, food products.

To strengthen economic and cultural cooperation, Belgium opened its honorary consulate in Dushanbe.

Legal framework

The contractual and legal basis for cooperation between the two states is formed by intergovernmental and interdepartmental agreements.

After the establishment of diplomatic relations between the governments of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of Belgium, a legal framework for cooperation between the two countries was created and it consists of the following documents:

• Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union on the reciprocal promotion and protection of investments (02/2009); 
• Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and on capital (02/2009);
• Protocol between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries on cooperation (02/2009);
• Memorandum of Understanding between the parliaments of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of Belgium (2011);
• Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of public and private health between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Health Association of the Kingdom of Belgium (2013).