Relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates

The Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates were established on December 19, 1995. The Consulate General of the Republic of Tajikistan in Dubai, United Arab Emirates was established on March 17, 2007 by the decision of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. On April 20, 2010 the United Arab Emirates appointed it’s first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Tajikistan with a residence in Astana (Nur Sultan).

On October 8, 2010 by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in the United Arab Emirates was established and started its activities in early 2011.

The first official visit of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Leader of the Nation, His Excellency  Mr. Emomali Rahmon to the United Arab Emirates  held in 1995 at the invitation of the founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. During the visit, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan met with the President and Founder of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Vice President, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Governor of Dubai Sheikh Maktoum Oli Maktoum and other high-ranking officials of the country.

Analysis of the development of bilateral relations between Tajikistan and the UAE shows that since 2016, after the official visit of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan to the UAE, mutually beneficial bilateral relations in various fields have received a new impetus. Since 2016, high-level UAE delegations at the level of UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Energy and Industry, Suhail al-Mazroui, UAE Minister of Economy, Sultan al-Mansuri have paid working visits to Tajikistan.

Currently, the legal framework of bilateral relations between Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates consists of 20 intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents. In addition, the parties are considering new draft agreements/memorandums of understanding in the areas of inter-parliamentary cooperation, investment protection, avoidance of double taxation, air communication, culture, health and defense, which are aimed to future to expand bilateral cooperation.

One of the most effective and important institutions in bilateral relations between Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates is the Tajik-UAE Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical cooperation. Since 2014, four intergovernmental meetings have been held (May 2014 in Abu Dhabi, April 2016 in Dushanbe, December 2017 in Abu Dhabi and July 29, 2021 in virtual form).

An instrument for conducting political consultations and consular consultations between Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates has been established on a regular basis to monitor bilateral issues. The first meeting of political consultations in the history of bilateral relations at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers was held in March 2017 in Dushanbe and the first meeting of consular consultations was held in October 2017 in Dushanbe. The consultations reaffirmed their effectiveness and demonstrate the high level of political ties and trust between the two countries.

Cooperation between Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates in economic, trade and investment spheres is at a good level, and great potential has not yet been realized. The trade turnover between the two friendly countries in 2017 amounted to 50.8 million US dollars, in 2018 to 70.2 million US dollars, in 2019 to 61.5 million US dollars and in 2020 to 92.2 million US dollars. Bilateral cooperation in attracting Emirati capital to the economy of Tajikistan continues, creating an appropriate conditions for investment.

Inter-parliamentary cooperation is also developing. On February 25, 2021, the first virtual inter-parliamentary consultations were held between members of the Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group between Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates.

The Republic of Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates have established extensive cooperation in the field of science and education, and dozens of Tajik students study in higher education institutions of the United Arab Emirates.

In order to present the rich culture of the Tajik people, the Republic of Tajikistan, at the invitation of the Emirati side, has been annually since 2016 participating in cultural festivals and exhibitions, including the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival and the Sharjah Heritage Festival.