DUSHANBE, May 28, 2013, Asia-Plus  -- Known Tajik poet Bozor Sobir, who has lived in Seattle, Washington (USA) over the last twenty years, has returned to Tajikistan.

Bozor Sobir arrived in Dushanbe yesterday evening.  The 74-year-old poet has returned to Tajikistan at invitation of President Emomali Rahmon.

Tajik national television channels have reported that the poet, who has lived in the United States over the past twenty years, is the last refugee of the Tajik civil war.

The poet was met by representatives from President’s Executive Office, journalists and friends at the Dushanbe airport.

In his interview to TV channels, Bozor Sobir said that he had returned to homeland forever at invitation of President Emomali Rahmon.  He stressed that he was still able to make his contribution to development of society.

Bozor Sobir called on Tajik intelligentsia to unite round the leader of the country.  He also expressed perplexity what small Tajikistan needs so many political parties for.

Born on November 20, 1938, Bozor Sobir completed his studies in Tajik philology at Tajik National University in Dushanbe in 1962 and had worked for the magazines Maorif va Madaniyat (Education and Culture) and Sadoyi Sharq (Voice of the East).  During the Soviet period his verse was widely translated into Western languages and even published in Iran.  With the advent of glasnost he became actively involved in the political and cultural movements for an independent national identity.  Four major collections of his verse were published in the 2000s.