Русский
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, met with Emomali Rahmon, the President of Tajikistan, on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Bishkek on Monday (August 31).
On the Russian side, the meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office – Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev, and Director General of State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev.
This is what Putin had to say:
“Mr Rahmon, I am delighted to see you. We maintain regular contact and a high level of status in our relations—they are truly the relations of strategic partnership and alliance.
We are developing our economic ties. Our trade increased by 25.1% last year and by another 25% in the first six months of this year. This is a very good trend. There are 320 companies with Russian capital in Tajikistan, and over 96% of all transactions are made in our national currencies.
Our intergovernmental commission is working actively. We are operating under the economic cooperation programme for 2024–2027, moving apace in accordance with the plan of joint measures aimed at increasing our mutual trade by 150% by 2030.
I would also like to mention our jointly committed efforts on the humanitarian track. I remember how you and I opened five schools with Russian as the language of tuition in several cities of Tajikistan. This was done at your initiative, which I remember very well, and we are grateful to you for it. Today, 6,000 children are happily studying at these schools.
The Russian-Tajik (Slavonic) University is functioning in Dushanbe. Over 35,000 Tajik young people are studying at universities in Russia.
Last year, the Days of Tajik Culture were held with great success in Moscow and Kazan, and Days of Russian Culture were held in Tajikistan in May 2026.
Of course, we are also cooperating in the field of security. We are aware of your concerns about the developments in the neighbouring country of Afghanistan, and we maintain close contacts with you on this and other security issues. I am very pleased at this opportunity to meet and talk today.”
This is Rahmon’s reply:
“Mr Putin, I am delighted to meet with you again. It is gratifying that relations between our countries are developing positively and successfully in all spheres. Our trade and economic cooperation is stable, and a good level has been achieved in our security and humanitarian cooperation. The construction of a centre for gifted children and of the building of the Mayakovsky Russian Drama Theatre are proceeding at an accelerating pace.
I will be glad to discuss with you today our bilateral relations and their prospects, as well as international and regional issues.”
Energy
The Russian Minister for Energy and Rosatom’s CEO were both present at the meeting. Russia and Tajikistan are cooperating on nuclear energy, focusing on uranium waste cleanup, environmental safety, and the potential building of small modular reactors. The two countries signed a landmark nuclear cooperation agreement in 2017 covering research reactors, radioactive waste management, and training specialists.
Rosatom has worked to rehabilitate former Soviet uranium mining and waste sites in Tajikistan, such as the Taboshar site and the Digmai/Dekhmoy tailings. Russia has also expressed interest in building small modular reactors in Tajikistan to help meet the country’s energy needs. Tajikistan does not have any operating nuclear power plants, but it does have uranium resources. Tajikistan’s domestic electricity demand is projected to rise significantly, growing by 31% by 2030, and it needs to diversify its energy mix.
Security
Tajikistan shares a 1,357 km border with Afghanistan, running mostly along the Panj, Amu Darya, and Pamir rivers. There has been a sharp rise in cross-border violence. In November last year, drone and armed attacks near the border resulted in the deaths of several individuals, including Chinese miners and contractors, which Tajikistan linked to militant factions based in Afghanistan.
In December, a clash in the Shamsiddin Shohin district left two Tajik border guards and three suspected militants dead after an armed group crossed from Afghan territory. Tajikistan has heavily fortified the frontier, constructing dozens of new outposts and security checkpoints with backing from regional security partners such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Russia and the CSTO maintain close security coordination with Tajikistan, providing military and technical support to reinforce border patrols against potential spillovers of terrorism and drug trafficking.
Bilateral Trade
The bulk of Tajikistan’s exports to Russia consists of light industry and agricultural products: knitwear, dried fruits, cotton yarn, cotton fiber, and garments. The Tajik side has expressed readiness to expand supplies of agricultural and food products. According to Russia’s Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, imports of agricultural products from Tajikistan to Russia are expected to increase by more than 10% in 2026.
Russia’s exports to Tajikistan cover several key commodity categories. The leading position belongs to petroleum products—including motor gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil, bitumen, and liquefied hydrocarbon gases. Food products also account for a significant share—in particular, sunflower oil, margarine, flour-based confectionery, chocolate, and baby food. In addition, Russia supplies Tajikistan with engineering and industrial products, as well as metals and metal goods (including construction reinforcement), timber and lumber, chemical products, and finishing materials.
Both countries have previously stated they are interested in reinforcing trade and economic ties and implementing joint projects aimed at expanding bilateral trade and developing production partnerships, including joint ventures to service other export markets such as China.
