DUSHANBE, 29.09.2022 (NIAT Khovar) – On September 27, 2022, in Washington D.C., the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Muhriddin met with the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West.

The parties discussed the situation in Afghanistan, countering international terrorism and extremism, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

Speaking at the General Debates of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, mentioned the situation in Afghanistan and emphasized that exactly one year ago, in this very same room, the President of Tajikistan, H.E. Mr. Emomali Rahmon, in his virtual message before the United Nations General Assembly, dedicated more than half of his statement to the situation in Afghanistan.

His concerns and warnings, unfortunately, fell on deaf ears.

One year after the fall of Afghanistan:

• No inclusive government has been formed despite repeated calls from Afghans, regional countries and the international community for greater ethnic, political and geographical diversity in the de facto administrative structures.

• The country is on the verge of humanitarian and economic catastrophe. To ease the suffering of the Afghan people during these difficult times, Tajikistan has provided its infrastructure, territory, and communication means to all stakeholders and donor countries to deliver humanitarian assistance directly to the people of Afghanistan. We have also never stopped providing the people of Afghanistan with much-needed electricity since the Taliban came to power;
• The environment of intimidation and deterioration in respect for human rights, including the rights of women and girls, is overwhelming.

• Diverging opinions and existing internal contradictions within the Taliban and the emergence of additional armed opposition groups, including ISIL-K and other terrorist groups, make the security situation in the country even more fragile. Furthermore, Taliban’s inability to control its militants and other terrorist groups further complicates the already difficult situation. The recent discovery and killing of one of Al-Qaeda’s top strategic minds in Kabul is a vivid testimony of those ties;

• Afghanistan is rapidly becoming a safe haven for terrorist groups and a springboard for spreading the Taliban’s radical extremism. In addition, we are witnessing systematic work on transferring militant groups consisting of former nationals of Central Asia to the north of Afghanistan aimed at consolidating and creating a new hotbed of tensions near our borders.

Unfortunately, the implications for Tajikistan, which shares 1400 km of border with this country, are enormous.

In the current alarming situation, it is paramount for Tajikistan to strengthen its border with Afghanistan and create the necessary border infrastructure along its entire length. At the same time, we believe that the participation of Afghanistan in the process of multifaceted regional cooperation is a key to the success of the efforts undertaken by the international community.