In his remarks, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reiterated the positive momentum in the development of bilateral cooperation, highlighting President Emomali Rahmon’s personal contribution to strengthening the Kazakh-Tajik relations in the spirit of strategic partnership and alliance.
“Today’s visit is deeply symbolic, as it takes place in the year when our countries are celebrating the 35th anniversary of their independence. In the years since gaining sovereignty, both Kazakhstan and Tajikistan have come a long way, marked by truly remarkable achievements. Under your authoritative leadership, Tajikistan has made tremendous progress in strengthening its statehood, advancing its socio-economic development and raising its international standing. Your country plays an important role in ensuring stability and security in Central Asia. All the achievements of modern Tajikistan are rightly associated with your name and your wise, constructive policies, underpinned by the firm support of the people. Kazakhstan has great respect for your strategic course aimed at building a strong and prosperous state amid today’s complex geopolitical realities,” the President said.
As the Head of State stressed, there are no unresolved or unresolvable issues between Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, only progress in mutual cooperation. He also stated that he had presented the new Order of Qoja Ahmet Yasaui to the leader of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon.
“This order holds special significance as a symbol of recognition of the President of Tajikistan’s outstanding contributions to education, science, culture and international affairs. Qoja Ahmet Yasaui is a figure of global stature, as it was he who brought knowledge founded on the principles of enlightenment, humanism and progress to our region. Thanks to Qoja Ahmet Yasaui, we became who we are to this day. His teachings influenced the evolution of the mentality, ethnic code and worldview of the Kazakh people. I therefore instructed that the essence of the great Qoja Ahmet Yasaui’s teachings be explained throughout the country, starting in the upper grades of school, as well as in universities, the armed forces, law enforcement agencies and all institutions. This is not a temporary campaign, but a major ideological undertaking. It is not about blind veneration, but about a deep understanding of the scientific, literary and philosophical thought of the great humanist Qoja Ahmet Yasaui. That is precisely why I established this high award, and precisely why I presented it today to our esteemed guest, President Emomali Rahmon,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted.
The President of Kazakhstan highlighted the successful outcomes of today’s talks, which reaffirmed both sides’ firm commitment to steadily strengthening their multifaceted cooperation.
“In an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect, we discussed a wide range of issues and outlined the main priorities for cooperation between our countries. We gave foremost attention to expanding trade and economic ties. Thanks to our joint efforts, bilateral trade is steadily approaching 2 billion US dollars. This places Kazakhstan among Tajikistan’s three largest foreign trading partners. The esteemed President Emomali Rahmon and I agreed to take the necessary steps to further increase bilateral trade. To achieve this goal, we adopted a Roadmap for Increasing Trade through 2030 today. The governments have been instructed to ensure its effective implementation,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
According to the President of Kazakhstan, there is considerable untapped potential in the agricultural sector. Last year, shipments of agricultural products between our countries increased by 11 per cent to around 600 million US dollars, accounting for half of total trade. Following the talks, both countries expressed their readiness to expand mutual supplies of food products. To develop cooperation in this area, the two sides discussed the possibility of establishing full production chains for processing agricultural products.
The Head of State then identified the implementation of joint projects that would become new “growth points” for the economies of both countries as an important task. He said mutually beneficial partnership in energy, oil and gas, mining and metallurgy, and processing industries offered considerable prospects. He noted that the Kazakhstan-Tajikistan Business Forum, which was held ahead of the visit, confirmed the mutual interest of entrepreneurs from both countries in establishing contacts across many areas.
The President also pointed to the importance of expanding partnership in transit and transport.
“Last year, road and rail freight volumes between our countries increased by 8 and 15 per cent, respectively, totaling around 7 million tons. The conditions put in place for carriers from both countries have helped sustain this positive trend this year. We agreed to pay particular attention to the digitalization of transport, which will ensure the seamless movement of freight. To further develop cooperation in this area, we will examine the prospects for implementing priority transport and logistics projects. To this end, a bilateral working group at the level of the national railway companies is in place and has been tasked with submitting specific proposals for cooperation,” the Head of State said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also noted that particular attention had been paid to water and energy during the talks.
“Kazakhstan is grateful to the Tajik side for its consistent policy and support on matters relating to the use of transboundary river resources. And we agreed to continue our constructive cooperation in this area. The priorities are to introduce digital solutions in the water sector and jointly develop systems for water accounting and monitoring,” he said.
In the President of Kazakhstan’s view, cooperation in the IT sector opens up broad prospects for both countries.
“Over the past few years, our country has laid a solid foundation for the digitalization of public services and the development of artificial intelligence technologies. Under previously reached agreements, digital solutions from the e-government platform were transferred to the Tajik side. Specialists from Tajikistan successfully completed training at leading IT schools in Kazakhstan. A joint Faculty of Information Technology operates at the Tajik Technical University named after M. Osimi with the participation of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. I am confident that such projects will contribute to the technological progress of our countries. To coordinate this extensive work across all areas, we proposed developing and adopting a Comprehensive Plan for Cooperation between Kazakhstan and Tajikistan through 2030,” the Head of State said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also addressed measures to strengthen cultural and humanitarian ties.
“Regular reciprocal Days of Culture, active dialogue between representatives of the creative intelligentsia, and the unveiling of monuments to outstanding figures all generate great interest among our citizens. We also reaffirmed our shared aspiration to deepen cooperation in education. Within the region, Kazakhstan provides the largest number of educational grants specifically to students from Tajikistan, with 100 places allocated annually. Mutual readiness was noted to continue cooperation in training Tajik military personnel at Kazakhstan’s educational institutions. To carry out this work on a systematic and long-term basis, an intergovernmental Agreement on the Training of Military Personnel was signed,” the President added.
In conclusion, the Head of our State reaffirmed the two countries’ common positions on current issues on the regional and global agenda, as well as their readiness to promote shared interests on multilateral platforms.
“During the talks, particular attention was paid to ensuring stability and security in Central Asia. We agreed that the region’s sustainable development is our common goal, serving the fundamental interests of all our fraternal peoples. Kazakhstan welcomed Tajikistan’s candidacy for election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2028-2029 and will, of course, support Tajikistan’s candidacy,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev concluded.
For his part, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon thanked the Head of State for the warm welcome and generous hospitality, and expressed his gratitude for receiving a high state award – the Order of Qoja Ahmet Yasaui.
“I believe that such high recognition of my modest contribution to the development of Tajik-Kazakh relations reflects the merits not only of me personally, but also of the entire people of my country. Every visit to fraternal Kazakhstan leaves us with new, vivid memories. We are pleased by friendly Kazakhstan’s significant achievements in the country’s socioeconomic development and in strengthening its standing in the international arena. We highly value the reforms of recent years aimed at creating a solid foundation for Kazakhstan’s continued harmonious advancement along the path of progress and prosperity. Today’s talks took place in the spirit of constructive political dialogue, in an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding. We held substantive discussions on a wide range of issues on the bilateral agenda. The Joint Statement adopted following the talks sets out the main directions for the further development of our cooperation,” Emomali Rahmon stated.
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