On February 13, Tajikistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, held negotiations in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, at the latter’s invitation, Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry says.

During the visit, the foreign ministers reportedly conducted thorough discussions in both narrow and expanded formats, extensively reviewing the state and prospects of further expansion of Tajik-Russian cooperation in political, trade-economic, cultural-humanitarian, and security spheres. 

Special attention was given to efforts aimed at fully implementing the agreements reached during high-level negotiations on December 24, 2024, in the Leningrad oblast.  

Migration cooperation was a key topic, with a particular focus on the need to uphold the rights and freedoms of Tajik citizens residing in Russia.

The talks also reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to mutual support in advancing their initiatives within multilateral organizations such as the UN, SCO, CIS, CSTO, and others.

The discussions reportedly culminated in the signing of the Program of Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the republic of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for 2025–2026 and Protocol No. 2 to the Government-to-Government Agreement between Tajikistan and Russia on the terms of establishment and maintenance of diplomatic missions and consular offices in each other’s territories, originally signed on April 16, 1999. 

Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry says particular emphasis was placed on forthcoming joint commemorations of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, and on joint efforts to counter the rewriting of history and preserve historical memory.

In light of the growing global challenges and threats, the parties discussed in detail the issues of regional security and the situation in Afghanistan. The role of the 201st Russian military base stationed in Tajikistan as a major factor in ensuring stability in Central Asia was emphasized.

In connection with the parliamentary elections in Tajikistan, the parties noted the readiness of observer missions from the CIS, the SCO, and the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly to monitor the electoral process in the republic.

In the cultural and humanitarian sphere, Russia and Tajikistan will continue to promote the implementation of landmark projects, including the construction, establishment, and operation in Dushanbe of an international educational center for gifted children and a new building of the Vladimir Mayakovsky Russian Drama Theatre, reads a statement released by the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation. 

It was reportedly also noted that for the 2024–2025 academic year, within the quota established by the Government of the Russian Federation, 1,000 university places have been allocated to Tajikistan.  Currently, more than 35,000 Tajik students and postgraduates are enrolled in Russian universities and their branches in Tajikistan.