Tajikistan–Turkey relations

Tajik–Turkish relations

Tajikistan	Turkey

Tajik–Turkish relations are friendly and cooperative and underlined with a legal basis of more than 30 treaties and protocols which have been signed between two countries since 1991.^[1]

Modern relations

Turkey recognized the independence of Tajikistan on 16 December 1991 and established diplomatic relations on 29 January 1992. The Turkish Embassy in Dushanbe was opened on 4 August 1992 and the Tajik Embassy in Ankara was opened on 16 October 1995.

Turkey’s relations with Tajikistan are considered within the framework of relations with other Central Asian republics but developed more slowly due to Tajikistan’s internal war between 1992 and 1997. During this period the Turkish embassy in Dushanbe was the only diplomatic mission which remained open and the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel was the only high level visit to Tajikistan.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon made a 19–22 January 2006 official visit to Turkey.

Turkish Presidential visit to Dushanbe

Turkish President Abdullah Gül made a 29 June 2009 official visit to Dushanbe where he met with Tajik President Rahmon to discuss bilateral relations,^[2] with Gül reiterating the two countries common stance on “terrorism, extremist movements, illegal immigration, drug and arms smuggling, organised crime and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,” before concentrating on Afghanistan (as he had done in his preceding visit to Kyrgyzstan) by stating, “Afghanistan’s stability and peace is very important for Central Asia and the rest of the world. Tajikistan, which shares a land border of 1,400 kilometres with Afghanistan, has always played a constructive role in this regard.”^[3]

References

1. "Turkey’s Political Relations With Tajikistan". Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
2. "Gül to visit Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan next week". Today’s Zaman. 2009-05-22.
3. "Turkey, Tajikistan to step up anti-terror cooperation". Today’s Zaman. 2009-05-30.