DUSHANBE, 09.03.2018 /NIAT “Khovar”/. Dushanbe hosted top-level talks between President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The official welcoming ceremony took place before the talks. The two leaders also introduced the members of their delegations.

Participants in the limited attendance talks in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding, characteristic for modern interstate relations between the two countries, discussed the most topical issues of development and strengthening of bilateral cooperation in all spheres of common interests.

The President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Leader of the Nation Emomali Rahmon, warmly greeting the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, expressed his confidence that his first visit to Tajikistan as the Head of State will give a powerful impetus to the development of the wide range of cooperation between the two countries.

«Our peoples are bound by centuries-old traditions of friendship, good-neighborliness and mutual respect. Cooperation with the Republic of Uzbekistan is one of the main priorities of the foreign policy of the Republic of Tajikistan. The decisions that we will take today on the basis of the talks, in many ways, have a truly historic character. They create a solid basis for the gradual elevation of Tajik-Uzbek relations to a qualitatively new level», said the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Leader of the Nation Emomali Rahmon.

The heads of state exchanged views on the current aspects of bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, economy, cultural and humanitarian ties, and transportation, use of water and energy resources, security and defense, as well as further expansion of cooperation between the two countries’ provinces.

A meaningful and useful conversation took place between the Heads of State concerning a wide range of regional and international issues, during which they checked their approaches to assessing and resolving topical issues of Central Asian region.

In this context, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Leader of the Nation Emomali Rahmon expressed his firm support to the initiatives of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to create a new constructive atmosphere for interstate cooperation between the Central Asian nations.

«We warmly welcome your decisive steps towards forming an atmosphere of friendship and good-neighborliness in our common home. They are fully in tune with our goals», said Emomali Rahmon, referring to Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Following the tete-a-tete meeting, Tajik – Uzbek talks were held with the participation of the delegations.

The President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Leader of the Nation Emomali Rahmon evaluated the negotiations of the parties as a new historical stage in the relations between the two countries and pointed the important contribution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in their transfer to the channel of creative development.

In this context, on behalf of the Government and the people of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon expressed sincere gratitude to Shavkat Mirziyoyev for his good and constructive efforts.

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, expressing deep gratitude to the President and the people of Tajikistan for the fraternal welcome and warm hospitality extended to him and his official delegation, noted his deep satisfaction with the results of the talks.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev highly appreciated the recent positive trends in the relations between the two countries, including the increased volumes of mutual trade and the intensification of the cultural and humanitarian component of cooperation based on common spiritual values and rich traditions of friendship and good neighborliness.

While touching upon the urgent issues of regional cooperation, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan announced the intention of the Uzbek side to fully consider the possibility of its participation in the construction of hydropower facilities in the Republic of Tajikistan, including the Rogun dam.

Global water initiatives of Tajikistan, in particular “International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018-2028″, as well as the efforts of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon to strengthen regional security has been supported by Uzbekistani side.

The agreements reached during the negotiations will create a reliable basis for resolving the whole range of problematic issues, which during the last two decades hindered the normal development of relations between the two countries.

The state border disputes between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan today have been effectively resolved.

Another significant result of the Tajik-Uzbek talks is the decision to introduce 30-day visa-free entry on a mutual basis.

In this context the decision of the parties on the gradual resumption of the operating of all checkpoints between Tajik-Uzbek border.

The importance of resumption of traffic along the train track between the Uzbek towns of Ghalaba and Amuzang was especially noted. This step will not only have a great economic effect, but will also become a factor in improving social and economic life in the southern regions of Tajikistan.

The agreements reached during the talks also create the necessary prerequisites for the resumption of flights and road transportation between the cities of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

The possibility of mutual trips of citizens thereby will serve to further the rapprochement of the two fraternal peoples, to raise the level of trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation.

During the talks, it was noted the importance of developing links between the regions of the two countries, which will enhance trade and economic cooperation as a basic element of interstate relations.

The two sides expressed their satisfaction with the bilateral trade value between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan increased by 6 times. In this context, the parties announced their intention to increase its volumes to half a billion dollars in the short period.

The sides stressed the importance of further deepening of people-to-people cooperation. In this context, the two sides agreed on translating the works of classical and modern literature into the state languages of the two countries, as well as raising the level of studying and teaching the Tajik and Uzbek languages in the educational institutions of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, respectively.

Taking into account the increasing level of political trust between the parties and their desire to steadily expand and deepen cooperation, the Heads of State expressed their intention to work out the issues of legal registration of the transfer of Tajik-Uzbek relations to the level of the strategic partnership.

Thus, the parties will not only consolidate the results of joint work at the current phase of relations, but also determine the main vectors of their development and expansion for the long term, including in the sphere of ensuring security and interaction in the fight against modern challenges and threats.

The Presidents of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan expressed confidence that this visit will open a new page in bilateral relations and make the process of their further positive and constructive development on an ascending line irreversible in accordance with the fundamental interests of the peoples of the two countries.

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev invited the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon to visit Uzbekistan with a return state visit. The invitation was accepted with satisfaction.

Following completion of talks, a ceremony of signing of a solid package of 27 bilateral documents took place.

President of the Republic of Tajikistan and the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan signed the Joint Statement on Strengthening Friendship and Good Neighborliness and Agreement between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on selected sections of the Tajik-Uzbek State Border.

In the presence of Heads of States following intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents were signed:

— Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on international automobile communication;

— Agreement on cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on air communication;

— Agreement on cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in ensuring the activities of the Farhod dam;

— Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Mutual Trips of Citizens;

— Program of cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan;

— Agreement on cooperation between the Executive Body of State Authority of Dushanbe and the Tashkent city Hokimiyat on trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian fields;

— Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital;

— Agreement on cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on finance;

— Agreement on cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of transit of military equipment, special cargo and troop contingent via the territories of the states of the parties;

— Agreement between the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Uzbekistan on military cooperation;

— Agreement on cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of civil defense, prevention and elimination of emergency situations;

— Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on interregional cooperation;

— Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments;

— Agreement on cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of security and combating crime;

— Agreement on cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in higher education and science;

— Agreement on cooperation between the Committee on Architecture and Construction under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Architecture and Construction.

— Agreement on cooperation between the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of public health and protection of the population;

— Protocol on detention of goods from the free trade regime to the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Free Trade as of January 10, 1996;

— Agreement between the Customs Service under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on organization of a simplified procedure for implementation of customs operations when goods and vehicles moved between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan;

— Protocol between the Customs Service under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on mutual exchange of permit forms for road transport of goods between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan;

— Agreement on cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of tourism;

— Agreement on cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of agriculture;

— Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the activities of border officials;

— Program of cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan;

— Memorandum of Understanding between the Center of Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and theInstitute of strategic and interregional studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The two presidents also made press statements.