Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin begins a working visit to Tajikistan. The head of the cabinet will spend two days in Dushanbe.
According to the government's press service, during his visit he will hold talks with Tajikistan's Prime Minister Kohir Rasulzoda. They will discuss topical issues of Russia-Tajikistan trade and economic cooperation, cooperation in the field of energy, industry, transport, as well as cultural and humanitarian spheres.
Mishustin is scheduled to meet with President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan and Rustam Emomali, chairman of the upper house of Tajikistan's parliament.
It is expected that intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents will be signed following the meetings and negotiations.
In addition, the head of the Russian cabinet of ministers will take part in the plenary session of the ninth conference on inter-regional cooperation "Business and Investment Partnership between Russia and Tajikistan." It is devoted to cooperation in industry, energy, environment, transport and logistics, as well as scientific, educational and humanitarian spheres.
Strategic partner
Mishustin has not yet visited Dushanbe as prime minister, but he is in regular contact with his colleagues from Tajikistan, both bilaterally and multilaterally. In particular, in April 2021, on the margins of the meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Kazan, he spoke with Prime Minister of Tajikistan Kohir Rasulzoda.
At that time, the head of the Russian cabinet of ministers noted that Dushanbe has traditionally been Moscow's strategic partner and ally in Central Asia. "Our relations have always been based on the principles of friendship, mutual respect and brotherhood. We are sincerely interested in taking them to a new level, filling them with new promising joint projects," Mishustin pointed out.
He drew attention to the fact that the countries are already implementing joint major projects in energy, industry, agriculture and are ready to discuss new ideas.
Cooperation in science and education
Moscow and Dushanbe continue to develop cooperation, including in science and education. On the eve of this visit, the Russian government approved a draft agreement with Tajikistan on mutual recognition of academic degrees and titles.
As follows from the text of the document, "the degree of candidate of science awarded by the Russian Federation and the degree of candidate of science obtained in the Republic of Tajikistan are recognized as comparable." The same applies to the degrees of doctor of sciences, associate professor, and professor.
The Russian-Tajik (Slavonic) University, branches of three leading Moscow universities - Lomonosov Moscow State University, MISIS National Research Technological University, and MPEI National Research University - operate in the republic. Every year quotas for admission of citizens of Tajikistan to Russian universities are allocated. In the 2023-2024 academic year, the quota will be increased from 750 to 902 places. This is one of the highest rates in the CIS. A total of about 35,000 students and postgraduate students from Tajikistan study at Russian universities.
In 2022, schools teaching in Russian educational standards and in the Russian language were opened in five cities of Tajikistan.
The opening ceremony of the educational institutions was held on September 1 via videoconference with the participation of Presidents Vladimir Putin and Emomali Rahmon. The institutions are designed for 1,200 students each and are named after prominent figures of Russia. The school in Bokhtar is named after Mikhail Lomonosov, in Khujand after Anton Chekhov, in Tursunzade after Dmitry Mendeleev and in Kulyab after Konstantin Ushinsky.
In total, there are more than 200 schools in Tajikistan, which teach in Russian.
Multifaceted cooperation
The countries intend to expand their partnership in other areas as well. As Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said in early February, Moscow and Dushanbe are preparing to transform trade and economic relations into the launching of industrial cooperation projects. According to him, the sides are trying "to solve the accumulated problems <...> and launch new projects."
In 2022, the volume of trade turnover between the two countries was $1.4 billion. The volume of accumulated investment coming to Tajikistan from Russia is more than $1.6 billion. In the total amount of investment in the republic, Russian investment is 16%, aimed at such areas of the national economy as construction, communications, exploration, financial intermediation, health, trade, energy, tourism and others.
Tajikistan and Russia established diplomatic relations on April 8, 1992. Since then, the countries have concluded more than 200 interstate, intergovernmental and interdepartmental agreements.
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Photo: Federation Council
Based on materials from TASS