22.07.2021, Dushanbe

Dear generals, officers, warrant officers and soldiers!

These days, the glorious Tajik people is preparing for the sacred and great national holiday — the 30th anniversary of the State Independence of the Republic of Tajikistan.

In honor of this historic fateful date, I sincerely congratulate you, dear officers and soldiers of the Motherland, all the personnel of the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies of sovereign Tajikistan.

It is gratifying that all the people of our beloved Motherland are currently working collectively for the sustainable development, prosperity and improvement of the traditional land of our ancestors.

The thirty-year history of the Independence of our Motherland has convincingly proved that we, Tajiks, is historically creative, educated, civilized, cultured and peace-loving people who, thanks to these qualities, was saved from the maelstrom of the imposed civil war of the 90s of the last century.

Today, in the most difficult conditions of the region and the world, the strengthening and development of such excellent qualities of our people, the protection of the security of the Tajik people and the state, a peaceful and stable political and social situation is of paramount and fateful importance for our statehood.

Along with this, I would like to emphasize and remind you that our people never approve violence and repression of others, and we will use all opportunities to protect the Motherland, independence, freedom, peace and stability of society.

In a very complex and extremely unstable situation in the region and the world today we are faced with very important security problems, including the fight against terrorism and extremism, drug trafficking, arms trafficking and other transnational organized crime.

In this regard, I emphasize once again that the situation in the neighboring country, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, especially in the northern regions bordering our country, remains extremely difficult and uncertain, it is getting more complicated day by day and even hour by hour.

Such a difficult situation has arisen for the first time in 43 years of continued internal confrontation in Afghanistan.

The people of Afghanistan that possesses an ancient history, civilization and culture, is not to blame for such tragic events.

These destructive processes are the result of outside interference in the internal affairs of a neighboring country, which has been going on for over forty years.

The people of Tajikistan experienced such a tragedy that is foreign intervention, which became the cause of the imposed civil war in the early 90s of the last century and still is in the process of eliminating of its grave consequences.

As a result of the war, over 150 thousand of our citizens died, 50 thousand children were left orphans.

Given this bitter historical experience, we will never interfere in the internal affairs of our neighbors.

We also very categorically declare that we will not use our Armed Forces against neighboring countries.

On the contrary, we always support peace and stability in neighboring countries, so that we can live with our neighbors in an atmosphere of calm, stability, friendship and cooperation.

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is our closest neighbor, a friendly country that has a common language, religion and culture with us. In this regard, we are not indifferent to the fate of its people.

That is why I have raised the issue of Afghanistan dozens of times from the tribunes of the most authoritative international and regional organizations.

I would like to reiterate once again that the Afghan conflict has no military solution; the problems of this country should be resolved only peacefully.

The people of Afghanistan, which has an ancient history and cultural values, whose land is recognized as one of the centers of human civilization, the people who gave humanity dozens and hundreds of great figures, must take their present and future destiny into their own hands.

The method of governance and the structure of statehood in all sovereign countries, including Afghanistan, should be determined and established only at the will of the majority of the people and its citizens.

However, unfortunately, over the past few decades, such civilized people with hundreds and thousands of well-known scientists, poets, writers and experienced politicians fell prey to geopolitical games.

Therefore, the time has come for politicians, leaders of all political parties and movements, intellectuals, community leaders and all the people of this country to unite and save their homeland, state and nation from instability and decay.

Moreover, retraction people into intrigues and conflicts for the sake of obtaining high positions is a hopeless business, which has tragic and dangerous consequences.

I say these words based on the bitter experience of the 1990s of the people of Tajikistan, since one of the main reasons for the civil war in our country was precisely the efforts in order to obtain high positions.

During that tragic period, the Tajiks nearly disappeared from the political map of the world, and the Tajik nation nearly collapsed.

More than a million of our fellow citizens, out of fear for their lives, left for other countries, including hundreds of thousands who became refugees in neighboring, friendly Afghanistan.

Likewise, millions of Afghans have been deprived of their homeland for many years and live in dozens of countries around the world, far from their ancestral homeland and their home.

For how long will the people of Afghanistan, including innocent children, women and old people with such a glorious history and culture, be executed, deprived of their homes and property, the right to enjoy their natural right to live in peace and stability?

People all over the world, including in Afghanistan, have the moral right to live in peace and stability, to have a decent standard of living, but for more than forty years they have been deprived of this right.

The world has stepped in new millennium, in a time when science and technology are developing at cosmic speed.

In this time, to ensure the development of the state and the prosperity of the country, it is necessary to train specialists and personnel of a new era — inventors and innovators, engineers and architects, doctors and teachers, specialists in hundreds of other industries, since only they can ensure the progress of the state, the prosperity of the Motherland and the well-being of society.

In the time when the developed countries make new discoveries and inventions every day, how long will our countries depend on them, why don’t we use our resources to develop science, education, technology, increase the literacy of the nation, train personnel for the prosperity of the country ?

I say this as a Head of State, whose citizens have endured hardships, sufferings, the horrors of a civil war imposed by foreign stakeholders, and have been working for more than two decades to restore the consequences of this war.

Back in the early 90s of the last century, when the civil war was raging in Tajikistan, in August 1993, the President of Afghanistan, now the late Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani and the late National Hero of Afghanistan Ahmad Shah Masud in Kabul created favorable conditions for establishing peace in Tajikistan, and in December 1996, for the second time in Hosdeh district of Tahor province, similar fraternal assistance was provided.

They acted as mediators in the name of peace in Tajikistan resulted as a turning point in the process of our negotiations and the fate of the Tajik peace was decided.

In one of my speeches, I noted that war is a horror, the execution of innocent people, it is a poverty, misery, economic collapse and the destruction of the rule of law and statehood.

I declare with confidence that these difficult days of the Afghan people will not last forever and I express the hope that, in the end, common sense will prevail in Afghanistan, peace and stability will be restored in this neighboring country, and we will strengthen and expand comprehensive ties with this friendly country.

For thirty years now, Tajikistan has been providing disinterested assistance and directing efforts to restore peace, economic and social progress in Afghanistan and will continue this work.

In connection with the unstable situation in the region, I repeat to the people of Tajikistan that we must be ready to defend peace and stability, which have been achieved at a high price, political strength, national unity and the security of our state and people, since protecting the security of the state and protecting public order is our most important and priority task, and we will do it at any cost.

The armed forces, that is, all military units and subunits, as well as the country’s law enforcement agencies, must ensure the highest level of combat readiness to prevent and counter real and potential threats and take additional urgent and decisive measures in this direction.

Our primary task in the current difficult situation is, first of all, to ensure reliable protection of the state border and mobilize all possibilities in this direction.

We are firmly convinced that our Border Troops, that is, our brave and courageous border guards, will continue to proudly fulfill their sacred duty — to reliably guard the borders of our country.

This morning, according to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the country for the first time in the history of independent Tajikistan, 100 thousand servicemen of the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies and 130 thousand officers and reserve personnel, in total, 230 thousand people were raised on alarm and collected in operational areas, their preparedness was checked, and 20 thousand officers and soldiers of mobilization resources were additionally sent to the border regions of Tajikistan with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

I would like to note with satisfaction that this event was held at a high level.

In this regard, I express my gratitude to the leadership and servicemen of the Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies and, especially, the personnel of the mobilization reserves.

I also remind you that to increase the level of professionalism and combat readiness will require even more work.

In the situation that has arisen, the most important task of the servicemen of the Armed Forces is that they must always be vigilant and faithful to the Motherland, state and people, have iron discipline, strong spirit, firm will and determination.

Never forget that we must serve faithfully, show courage and courage, which will certainly be recognized by the state, government and people of Tajikistan.

Our Armed Forces, that is, the brave sons of the Tajik people, have courageously and proudly fulfilled their official duties and their filial duty to the Motherland, the state and the Tajik people for thirty years of independence.

Ensuring the security of the state and society, love for the Motherland, courageous and courageous defense of it, devotion to the ancestral land and national shrines are a matter of honor and filial duty of every officer and soldier, all military personnel of the Armed Forces, all law enforcement officers of the country and every worthy member of society!

Only this kind of attitude, that is, devotion to the Motherland, will protect us from all dangers.

In this regard, once again I appeal to all heads of military structures, law enforcement agencies, brave officers and soldiers: be always vigilant, in the name of protecting the independence of the Motherland, ensuring the security of the country and its borders, defend the interests of the Motherland in the current difficult conditions.

I would also like to call on to each of you, brave officers and soldiers: always and in all difficult circumstances, be next to each other and always support each other.

Providing comprehensive assistance to military structures and law enforcement agencies to ensure the security of the state and society, reliable protection of the state border and thus establishing close cooperation with them are the tasks of all state bodies and every sane person in the country.

Once again I emphasize that each of you, in order to solve the assigned tasks, must mobilize all his capabilities, strength and skills for training courageous officers and soldiers of our Motherland and law enforcement officers in the spirit of loyalty to the oath, courage, patriotism and humanism, reliable protection of the borders of our sovereign state, protecting the national values of our glorious, ancient, peaceful and civilized people.

In this process, improving the professional level and their combat training is the primary task.

I express firm confidence that all the leaders, military personnel and law enforcement officers of the country in this full of tough global competition world are always ready to ensure national security, stability and peace in society with a strong will and unsheakable spirit.

We should be proud that after thousand of years we have found an independent Motherland and a sovereign state.

Today, sovereign Tajikistan is a member of all international organizations and has a voice on a par with all countries of the world.

Today, the world community not only recognizes Tajikistan, but also supports its proposals and initiatives to address global and regional problems and takes concrete steps in the process of their  implementation.

We should be grateful for this free Homeland and this sovereign state and to protect the great blessing of patriotism and statehood as the apple of an eye.

Once again, I cordially congratulate all the personnel of the Armed Forces of Tajikistan and all of you, brave officers and soldiers of the Motherland, on the great national holiday — the Thirtieth anniversary of State independence.

First of all, I wish you good health and success in fulfilling your sacred filial duty, a valiant mission, important and responsible tasks.

Be always healthy and successful, glorious sons of the Motherland and courageous defenders of independent Tajikistan!