On Friday, May 19, United States Ambassador to Tajikistan Elisabeth Millard handed over 1300 books from the people of the cities of Boulder and Denver, Colorado to the Friendship Cyber Café of Dushanbe and to nine schools in the city.

According to the US Embassy in Dushanbe, the event took place at Dushanbe Plaza and was organized by the Mayor of Dushanbe’s office.  Mahmadsaid Zuvaydzoda, First Deputy Mayor of Dushanbe, gave opening remarks describing the vibrant relationship between the cities of Dushanbe and Boulder.  Ambassador Millard talked about 25 years of diplomatic relations, quoted poetry in Tajik on friendship and books, and read a letter from the Boulder-Dushanbe Sister Cities Board of Directors.

Over the course of a week, residents of Boulder, the Boulder Public Library, local schools, and the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, as well as residents of the city of Denver, donated 1300 English language books to send to the people of Dushanbe.  These books consist of English classics, children’s books, and poetry.

The Boulder Dushanbe Sister Cities relationship started in the 1980s.  The people of Dushanbe donated the beautiful Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, and the people of Boulder in turn donated the Friendship Cyber Café in Dushanbe.  Over the course of this relationship, the U.S. government has sponsored various exchange programs of students and professionals to Boulder to strengthen these people-to-people ties.  This month a group of eco-tourism professionals from Tajikistan will visit Boulder and connect with the Sister Cities members.

The U.S. government believes strong people-to-people ties are essential for a productive bilateral relationship.  That is why over the last 25 years it has sent more than 5,000 Tajiks to the United States to engage in training, professional development, and exchanges, who return to Tajikistan to contribute to their respective fields.