DUSHANBE, 08.09.2021 (NIAT Khovar) – The Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon attended a gala event celebrating Independence Day, which took place in Borbad.

Government members, activists, intellectuals, young people, elders, heads and staff of diplomatic missions attended the meeting.

President Rahmon noted that state independence is the greatest and most sacred blessing, the highest embodiment of the national mentality, pride, and patriotism, a symbol of the existence of the ancient nation, the basis of happiness for all Tajiks.

President Rahmon emphasized that the implementation of strategic goals made it possible to ensure the country’s average annual economic growth of 7.5%, multiplication of the public budget revenues from 252 million somoni in 2000 to 27.6 billion somoni in 2021. The GDP per capita in this period increased from 289 somoni to 9,000 somoni.

He stressed that the 16th session of the Supreme Council of Tajikistan has historical significance and made a worthy contribution to the maintenance of peace and stability, and served to strengthen the constitutional order. Gradually, the Tajik nation gained its own constitution and professional parliament.

“Securing macroeconomic stability led to an increase in population’s income from billion somoni in 2000 to 65.4 billion in 2020, and the poverty rate declined from 83% in 1999 to 26.3% in 2019.Thus, over the past 20 years, the poverty rate has declined more than three times,” he said.

During this period, the country’s population increased from 5.5 million to 9.7 million, i.e., more than 1.7 times. The living standards has improved significantly, and the average life expectancy reached 75.1 years. In 1991, the average life expectancy was 70 years.

Over 138,000 hectares of land has been allocated for 1.4 million families for the construction of residential buildings. Thus, more than 8.8 million of our citizens got an opportunity to improve their residential conditions.

According to international assessments, over the past ten years, Tajikistan ranked four times among the top ten reformers in the world in terms of development of entrepreneurship and investment. To decently mark this great holiday, Tajik entrepreneurs contributed to the creation of more than 25,000 industrial and social facilities, which contributed to the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs and alleviated many social issues of the population.

Touching on the issues in Afghanistan, President Rahmon called on the world community and international human rights institutions to not remain neutral.

Concluding his address he noted that «We must continue to be united, defend the greatest blessing of our life — independence and freedom, in order to further strengthen the greatest achievements of independence — peace, tranquility, political stability, and national unity. We must always, and especially in difficult and threatening periods, be united and patient, not lose sense because of the arising problems, join hands, always remember that we are the owners of our national state and modernize our beloved Motherland.»