ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon identified priorities and tasks to strengthen bilateral cooperation during the Aug. 22 talks in Dushanbe.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon signed the Treaty on Allied Relations, which is supposed to enhance bilateral relations. Photo credit: Akorda
In a narrow-format meeting, Tokayev emphasized that he attaches great importance to regular high-level meetings, which serve as a solid foundation for strengthening the Kazakh-Tajik multifaceted partnership.
“This visit is supposed to give the most serious impetus to the development of our cooperation. Today, the Treaty on Allied Relations will be signed. This document is of historical significance. Therefore, I believe that we will have a meaningful exchange of views on all topics of interest to us,” he said.
Rahmon expressed his intention to deepen the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and Tajikistan and emphasized that signing the Treaty on Allied Relations will qualitatively strengthen interstate cooperation in the long term.
“I am confident that your visit’s results will enhance our relations. They are currently developing dynamically in the political, trade and economic, cultural, humanitarian and security areas,” said Rahmon.
The expanded meeting identified priorities and tasks for strengthening bilateral cooperation in the agro-industrial, water-energy, transport and transit sectors. The parties agreed to focus their efforts on launching joint projects and creating favorable conditions for doing business.
The possibilities of expanding partnership in digitalization, education and the use of space technologies were also considered. Tokayev noted the effective development of Kazakh-Tajik cooperation in all key areas and set the goal of increasing the volume of mutual trade to $2 billion.
The President thanked the Tajik side for its assistance in holding the Days of Culture of Kazakhstan, especially noting the installation of a bust of the great Kazakh poet and philosopher Abai Kunanbayev in the center of Dushanbe. According to Tokayev, such events enrich the treasury of shared spiritual and cultural values.
E-government cooperation
This year, specialists from both countries deployed key components of the Unified Platform of Internet Resources (UPIR) and SmartBridge systems on servers in Tajikistan.
Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev and Director of the Tajik Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies Khurshed Mirzo spoke about the comprehensive training of Tajik specialists and ongoing work on websites for Tajikistan’s government agencies. They also reported on the integration of transferred IT solutions.
The sides also considered introducing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to improve the availability and efficiency of public services, which may become one of the most promising areas in bilateral cooperation.
Kazakhstan, Tajikistan ink package of bilateral documents
Following the talks, Tokayev and Rahmon signed the Treaty on Allied Relations between Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. The sides also inked 15 documents, including cooperation agreements between several ministries, a memorandum of cooperation between Kazakhstan Temir Zholy and Tajik Railway State Unitary Enterprise, a memorandum of understanding between Kazatomprom and Tajik Rare Metals State Unitary Enterprise, and a memorandum of cooperation between the Assembly of Zhastary youth organization and Tajik Union of Youth.
