Tag Archives: Tajikistan

Tajikistan approves construction of Chinese military base

BISHKEK/OCT. 22/27 2021 (The Bulletin) — — Tajikistan approved the construction of a Chinese military base and Kyrgyzstan ordered military drones from Turkey, deals that challenge Russia’s traditional security dominance in Central Asia.

Under this new agreement, China will build a military base on Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan and publicly acknowledge a base that it has operated in the Pamir mountains for the past couple of years, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported by quoting what it described as a “communique sent from the Chinese Embassy in Dushanbe to Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry”.

These are the only Chinese military bases in Central Asia and show just much influence China has built up in Tajikistan over the past few of years. Neither the Tajik nor Chinese governments have commented on the Chinese base expansion.

Kyrgyz officials were more open about their military deals with Turkey.

Kamchybek Tashiev, deputy PM and chairman of the Kazakh National Security Committee, said that the Kyrgyz military had placed an order for the Bayraktar TB2 drone.

“ Turkey is currently constructing Bayraktar drones for us,” media quoted him as saying. These drones are credited with helping Azerbaijan defeat Armenia in a war for Nagorno-Karabakh last year.

A couple of days later, Kyrgyz interior minister Ulan Niyazbekov flew to Istanbul to meet his Turkish counterpart. Turkish media reported that a bilateral security deal was imminent. The deals highlight Pres. Sadyr Japarov’s policy of cosying up to hardmen leaders since he took power in a coup last year.

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— This story was published in issue 505 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Oct. 28 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Kazakhstan and Tajikistan increase interest rates

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ALMATY/OCT. 25 2021 (The Bulletin) — The Kazakh and Tajik Central Banks both raised their interest rates to try to dampen soaring inflation.

Commenting on pushing Kazakhstan’s interest rate up by a quarter of a percentage point to 9.75%, its highest level since April 2020, the Kazakh Central Bank said that annualised inflation hit 8.9% in September.

“The external inflation situation remains unfavourable. This is due to high world food prices, supply disruptions, rising costs of transportation, raw materials and energy, as well as the recovery of domestic demand,” it said.

On a more positive note, the Central Bank said that retail had started to recover after an easing off of the coronavirus pandemic.

In Dushanbe, the Central Bank raised its interest rate to 13.25% from 13%. It also said that inflation measured 9.6%, double its official target.

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— This story was published in issue 505 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Oct. 28 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Worried about the Taliban, Tajikistan mobilise entire army

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DUSHANBE/JULY 22 2021 (The Bulletin) — Tajikistan mobilised its entire army and put it on “high alert” for the first time since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union as worries intensified about a move north into Central Asia by the Taliban.

Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan also mobilised their armies and Russia said that it was sending extra military hardware to its base in Tajikistan.

Media quoted a military source in Tajikistan as saying that the Taliban now controls around 80% of Afghanistan’s border with Tajikistan. It has pounced on Afghan government military weakness since the US started to withdraw its forces in May.

In a statement, the Tajik ministry of defence said that it had ordered the mobilisation of all its 100,000 regular soldiers, and another 130,000 reservists. Inspecting some of these forces in Dushanbe, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon said that the Tajik military had to be ready to defend its borders.

“The situation in neighbouring Afghanistan, especially in the northern regions bordering with our country, remains very difficult and uncertain. The situation is getting more complicated day by day and even hour after hour,” he said.

Earlier this month, hundreds of Afghan government soldiers fled across the Uzbek and Tajik borders to escape the Taliban which now controls most of the northern section of Afghanistan, including the important border crossings into Central Asia, for the first time.

Also in Tajikistan, media said that Russia was sending an extra 17 BMP-2s to its base. The BMP-2 is a cross between an armoured personnel carrier and a tank that Russian infantry favour when deploying into battle. The Kommersant newspaper also reported that Russia had offered the US use of its base as a listening post to spy on the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Elsewhere in Central Asia, news leaked out of Turkmenistan of a road accident that killed 30 soldiers when, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a military convoy collided with a truck and another vehicle. The RFE/RL source said the scene was “horrible”.

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— This story was published in issue 493 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on July 22 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Uzbekistan starts building first cricket ground

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JULY 18 2021 (The Bulletin) — Uzbekistan began the construction of the first cricket ground in Tashkent, media reported. The International Cricket Council (ICC), cricket’s governing body, wants to broaden the reach of the sport and on the same day that work on a permanent cricket pitch began in Tashkent, it said that Tajikistan, alongside Mongolia and Switzerland, had been made members.

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— This story was published in issue 493 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on July 22 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Dushanbe court sentences lawyer to 5-1/2 years in prison for Facebook post

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JUNE 16 2021 (The Bulletin) — A court in Dushanbe sentenced Abdulmajid Rizoe, a human rights lawyer, to 5-1/2 years in prison for posting what it said were extremist comments on Facebook. In the offending comment, Rizoe quoted a poem that said “ignorant governments fight protesters”. He has denied any wrongdoing. Human rights activists have been increasingly concerned about Tajikistan’s commitment to political plurality.

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— This story was published in issue 48 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on June 16 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Uzbeksitan and Tajikistan agree bilateral deals worth $1b

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JUNE 11 2021 (The Bulletin) — At a meeting in Dushanbe designed to show off their new and strengthen friendship, Uzbek Pres. Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajik Pres. Emomali Rakhmon signed bilateral deals worth $1b. Relations between the two neighbours have improved markedly since the death in 2016 of Islam Karimov. The bilateral deals were focused on industry and manufacturing.

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— This story was published in issue 48 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on June 16 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Tajikistan accused of sending Uyghurs to China

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DUSHANBE/JUNE 10 2021 (The Bulletin) — The Tajik government is rounding up Uyghurs and sending them to China where they are imprisoned in so-called re-education camps, rights activists told the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague.

In a statement to the ICC, the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE), an Uyghur group that wants to see an independent Xinjiang, said that Chinese agents were directing Tajik police in raids against Uyghurs. It said that the number of Uyghurs living ins Tajikistan had dropped to 100, from around 3,000.

“Those without the ‘correct paperwork’ are then deported back into China by Chinese authorities in small groups of up to 10 to avoid international attention,” the ETGE told the ICC. “The remaining Uyghurs are completely controlled by the Consulate and have to participate in weekly meetings with informers who report back to the Consulate.”

Neither the Tajik nor the Chinese government has responded to the accusations. Tajikistan is a member of the ICC but China isn’t.

Western governments have accused China of trying to wipe out Uyghurs by imprisoning 1m Muslims, including ethnic Kazakhs and Kyrgyz living in Xinjiang. China has denied the claims and said instead that it has set up a network of camps to re-educate Muslims to help them succeed in modern-day China.

Activists have accused the Kazakh and Kyrgyz governments of ignoring the plight of their people in China but this is the first time that a government has been accused of rounding up Uyghurs for the Chinese authorities. Activist hope that they are able to bring pressure on China by highlighting Uyghurs’ plight in Tajikistan.

Tajikistan has built up strong relations with China over the past decade, taking cheap loans to build roads and infrastructure and to beautify its towns and cities.

In return, China has built up major political and economic patronage, controls many of Tajikistan’s most valuable mineral and energy assets and has reportedly set up a military base in the Tajik section of the Pamir Mountains.

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— This story was published in issue 48 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on June 16 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Tajikistan’s Rakhmon signs weapons deal with Pakistan

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JUNE 3 2021 (The Bulletin) — On a trip to Pakistan to meet with PM Imran Khan, media reported that Tajik Pres. Emomali Rakhmon had signed a deal to buy arms. The deal could potentially irritate India, a regional rival to Pakistan, which sees Tajikistan as an entry point into Central Asia. India has been trying to make up ground in Central Asia, where China dominates.

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— This story was published in issue 487 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on June 9 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Tajikistan celebrates Day of the Media despite poor press freedom record

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MARCH 11 (The Bulletin) — Media activists criticised the Tajik government for celebrating a Day of the Media despite having one of the world’s worst media freedom records. During the day, six journalists were given awards. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has lodged a complaint with the authorities after two of its journalists were attacked at the end of February while investigating stories about fuel prices increases.

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— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021

Tajik labourers say that Chinese firms abuse them

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DUSHANBE/MARCH 5 (The Bulletin) — Tajik labourers working for a Chinese firm constructing a new government building in Dushanbe have complained of poor conditions and harassment, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported (March 5).

The Tajik workers refused to give their names to reporters because they said that if they were caught complaining, they would be fired. “All heavy and manual work in construction is done by Tajiks, and local workers wear yellow helmets and Chinese wear red hats. Most of them are employers, engineers and office workers,” one worker told RFE/RL.

Tajikistan is heavily in debt to China which has given dozens of soft loans to build roads, new government buildings and beautify Dushanbe and other cities.

Activists have said that Chinese companies’ attitude towards different workers has been made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Most of the workers here are former migrants who can’t go to Russia because the border is closed,” said another person working on the site. Remittances from migrant workers typically make up around half of Tajikistan’s GDP.

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— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021