Bilateral relations of Tajikistan with Great Britain

Bilateral relations of Tajikistan with Great Britain

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and Great Britain were established on January 15, 1992.

On February 11, 2008 the Embassy of Tajikistan was opened in London.

Since December 15, 2021, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Kingdom is Rukhshona Emomali (she presented her credentials to The Queen Elizabeth II on March 16, 2022).

On December 20, 2001 the UK opened its Embassy in Dushanbe.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom to Tajikistan is Timothy Aidan Marshall Jones (01/102021). He presented his credentials to the President of the Republic of Tajikistan on November 3, 2021.

On January 31, 2022, an exchange of congratulatory telegrams took place between the Founder of Peace and National Unity - the Leader of the Nation, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Boris Johnson on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Political cooperation (exchange of visits). From 2002 to the present, there has been an exchange of official visits at the level of high-ranking representatives of both sides, including the Duke of York, Minister of State for International Development Alan Duncan, Minister of State for International Development (DFID) Desmond Swayne, Foreign ministers of Tajikistan Talbak Nazarov, Hamrokhon Zarifi and Sirojiddin Muhriddin, British Deputy Foreign Secretary John MacGregor and others.

On September 2, 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, Sirojiddin Muhriddin had a telephone conversation with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Dominic Raab. During the call, the parties held constructive talks on topical issues of bilateral cooperation, including strengthening the border and climate change. In the process of conversation, the sides focused on the problems of Afghanistan and the current critical development of the situation in that country.

On 1 November 2021, in Glasgow on the side-lines of the COP26 Conference, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan Muzaffar Huseinzoda met with the Minister for Europe and Americas of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Wendy Morton. During the meeting, the sides discussed issues of developing bilateral cooperation in the political, economic and humanitarian spheres, joint efforts to prevent the consequences of climate change and the COVID-19. The sides also discussed matters of partnership within the framework of international organizations and other issues of mutual interest.

On March 30, 2023, the Political Dialogue between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan and the United Kingdom was held in London. The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr Sharaf Sheralizoda, and the delegation of the United Kingdom was headed by the Minister of State for European and North American Affairs Mr Leo Docherty. At the end of the Political Dialogue, the heads of delegations signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

On July 3, 2023, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan Farhod Salim met with the Minister of State for Europe of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Leo Docherty in Dushanbe. During the meeting the key aspects of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and the United Kingdom were discussed.

Parliamentary cooperation. On September 16-20, 2019, the Lord Sheikh - a member of the House of Lords and Deputy Chairman of the British-Tajik Parliamentary Group on Tajikistan visited Tajikistan, during which he held a number of meetings in the Majlisi Namoyandagon, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, State Committee for Investments and State Property Management, Committee for Tourism Development and National, Technical and Pedagogical Universities of the Republic of Tajikistan.

Trade and Economic cooperation. Cooperation between the two countries is also gradually expanding in the economic sphere. Economic cooperation between Tajikistan and the United Kingdom is mainly based on the activities of the Regional Office of the former United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) (now part of the UK Foreign Office) for Central Asia.

In line with the recent major global review of its international assistance programme, the United Kingdom’s Government will allocate an average of 27,5 million (£14m) a year to our programmes in Central Asia, which benefit both Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic for the period 2011-2015.

According to the Agency on Statistics under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the total trade turnover between the two countries in 2022 is estimated at 6,175.5 million US dollars, of which exports amounted to 468,1 thousand US dollars and  imports to 5,707.4 million US dollars.

Basic goods of export are cotton production a yarn, ores and concentrates. Basic goods of import are mineral oil, the technological equipment.

In February 2017, a delegation consisting of representatives of the British companies British Expertise and СATBIG visited Dushanbe to get acquainted with the business climate in Tajikistan. During the visit, on February 20, 2017, a round table was held at the Sheraton Hotel with the participation of representatives of British companies and business circles of Tajikistan.

On January 31, 2020, in London, at the initiative of the Department of International Trade of the United Kingdom, an event was held dedicated to the presentation of investment opportunities in Central Asia, including the Republic of Tajikistan, to the business community of the United Kingdom called "Eastern Europe and Central Asia - Trade Opportunities in Central Asia". The event was organized to discuss issues related to the development of investment and trade cooperation between the business community of Central Asia and the UK, and it was attended by more than 200 participants from the diplomatic missions in London, including the embassies of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, representatives of ministries foreign affairs and international trade of the UK, heads of investment companies, the private sector and other stakeholders directly involved in trade and investment activities. During the event, the Republic of Tajikistan was represented by a delegation of entrepreneurs of “Avesto Group” and SUE “Smart City”, who provided the participants with the necessary information about the conditions and opportunities for cooperation with foreign investors.

On March 28-29, 2023, on the initiative of the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in the Great Britain and with the support of the Government of the country, the Investment and Development Forum of Tajikistan was held in London. The event was attended by a wide range of participants – in total more than 250 people from among the heads and representatives of ministries and departments of the country, businessmen and investors, heads and representatives of eminent companies and corporations of the world. As a result of meetings and negotiations between members of official delegations and businessmen of the two countries and private enterprises, 23 new cooperation documents were signed with a total budget of more than 370 million US dollars.

The legal framework

Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan concerning the transit of defense materials and personnel through/over the territory of the Republic of Tajikistan in connection with the participation by the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in international efforts to stabilize and rebuild the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( signed on April 18th, 2013 in Dushanbe);

Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and on capital (signed on 1 July, 2014 in London).

Memorandum of Understanding between the General Directorate of Geology under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the UK Geological Survey for Geological Cooperation (2018 Dushanbe).

Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (signed on 30 Mach, 2023 in London)

December, 2023