Pakistan-Tajikistan agree to continue high-level engagement to strengthen bilateral ties

ISLAMABAD ( WNAM REPORT ):  Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar met with Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, where both sides reaffirmed the longstanding, close relationship between the two countries.
According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, the two officials expressed a shared commitment to expanding cooperation in areas including trade, investment, connectivity, energy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, while emphasizing the importance of continued high-level engagement to strengthen bilateral ties further.
Muhriddin reaffirmed Tajikistan’s support for Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to promote regional peace and stability, and the two leaders exchanged views on broader regional and global developments, underscoring the value of cooperation through multilateral platforms.
Background on Pakistan-Tajikistan Relations
Tajikistan is Pakistan’s closest neighbor in Central Asia, separated only by the narrow Wakhan Corridor. The relationship between the two countries is rooted in shared religious, historical, and cultural ties, with centuries of mutual cultural and intellectual exchange between their peoples. Formal diplomatic relations were established on June 6, 1992, following early cooperation that began in 1991. Pakistan opened its embassy in Dushanbe in 1993, becoming operational in 1994, while Tajikistan established a consulate general in Islamabad in 1997, followed by a full embassy in 2005.
Sharifzoda Yusuf Toirali has served as Tajikistan’s ambassador to Pakistan since June 2024, while Muhammad Saeed Sarwar has represented Pakistan in Tajikistan since April 2024.
Over more than three decades of diplomatic relations, Tajikistan’s president has made eight official visits to Pakistan, including trips in 1994, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2011, 2015, 2021, and 2022, alongside additional engagements at multilateral summits including the Economic Cooperation Organization Summit in 2017, the SCO Summit in Samarkand in 2022, the CICA Conference in Astana in 2022, and COP-27 in Sharm el-Sheikh in 2022. Numerous other high-level exchanges have also taken place between senior officials of both countries over the years, including meetings involving military and foreign ministry leadership.
Pakistan’s president has made three official visits to Tajikistan, in 2002, 2009, and 2012, while former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited Dushanbe on several occasions between 2014 and 2021, including for events related to the CASA-1000 energy project and the SCO’s 20th anniversary summit.