Relations of the Republic of Tajikistan with the French Republic

Relations of the Republic of Tajikistan

with the French Republic

Brief summary of bilateral relations

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the French Republic were established on March 3, 1992. The Embassy of the French Republic in Dushanbe was opened on November 3, 2001. The Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Paris was opened in 2013.

The Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Paris also functions (since April 2018) as the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Tajikistan to UNESCO.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tajikistan to France is Mr. Jamoliddin Ubaidullo (since January 2018). Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to the Republic of Tajikistan is Mr. Michel Tarran (since February 2021).

France was one of the first countries, which recognized the state independence of Tajikistan in 1991. The Tajik-French relations are developing in political, economic, scientific, cultural and military fields.

The political, military-technical, trade-economic and scientific-cultural cooperation between the two countries developed particularly rapidly from 2002 to 2013, that is, during the stay of the French air base at the Dushanbe international airport.

Among the mechanisms of bilateral relations between Tajikistan and France are interdepartmental political consultations of foreign ministries, mutual visits at the political level, visits of representatives of parliaments, defense ministries and law enforcement agencies of the two countries, business forums of Tajikistan and France, direct links between educational and research institutions, cultural events and partnership within the framework of international organizations.

The 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries was marked in March 2022 by the exchange of congratulatory messages.

 Legal-treaty base

23 documents on bilateral cooperation have been signed between Tajikistan and France, which constitute the legal basis for the relations of the two states in foreign policy, trade, economic, investment, educational, cultural, scientific-technical, tourism fields, in the domain of air services, modernization of Dushanbe airport infrastructure, defense, internal security and other areas.

Exchange of visits

Bilateral high-level visits have laid the foundation for extensive cooperation between Tajikistan and France.

The visit of the French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Mr. Alain Vivien in Dushanbe in March 1992 is a testament to the above. During the visit, topical issues of the domestic and foreign policies of the two countries, possible ways of developing bilateral relations were discussed, and a ceremony of signing the Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the French Republic was held.

The official visit of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan to the French Republic in December 2002 is evidence of the interest of the two countries in strengthening bilateral cooperation.

An additional impetus to the development of bilateral cultural cooperation was given by the visit of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon to the French Republic for participation in the UNESCO General Conference in October 2005, within the framework of which the Day of Culture of Tajikistan in France was organized with the broad participation of representatives of Tajik art and culture.

In the 2000s, bilateral contacts were developing intensively at a high level. Examples include the following high-level bilateral visits: visits by the French Minister of Cooperation and Francophonie Charles Jocelan (February 1999), French Defense Minister Alain Richard (January 2002), French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin (September 2002), French Minister of Defense Michelle Allio-Marie (December 2003), French Foreign Trade Minister Francois Loos (May 2004), French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner (April 2008).

On March 29, 2017, at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France Mr. Jean-Marc Ayrault, a meeting of foreign ministers took place in Paris on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries of Central Asia and the French Republic. The delegation of Tajikistan at the meeting was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Muzaffar Huseinzoda.

On November 23, 2017, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan Sirodjidin Aslov received the Director of the Department of Continental Europe of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of France Ms. Florence Mangin. During the conversation, a number of issues on the agenda of bilateral and multilateral relations between Tajikistan and France were discussed.

On April 18, 2019, the State Secretary on External Trade, Tourism and Francophonie of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Mr. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne paid an official visit to Tajikistan, during which he was received by the Founder of Peace and National Unity-Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan His Excellency Mr. Emomali Rahmon and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan Mr. Sirojiddin Muhriddin. This visit gave a new impetus to the political dialogue and promotion of topical issues of cooperation between the two countries. 

On 7-12 November 2019 an official visit of the Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan His Excellency Emomali Rahmon took place in the French Republic, in the margins of which the top-level talks of the Head of Tajik State with the President of France His Excellency Emmanuel Macron, meeting with the respected business and investment community representatives of France, meetings of the Leader of the Nation with the UNESCO Director-General Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, representatives of Tajik science, culture and arts circles in France were held as well as the Tajik President took part and spoke in the Paris Peace Forum and high-level panel debates of the 40th session of the UNESCO General Conference on the issues of climate change. The visit of the Head of Tajik State to Paris elevated the Tajik-French ties to a qualitatively higher level and, in general, 12 new cooperation documents were signed which regulate the partnership of the two countries in the spheres of air services, tourism, foreign policy, education, science and various economic-trade areas.

On October 12-14, 2021, the Founder of Peace and National Unity – Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan His Excellency Mr. Emomali Rahmon paid an official visit to Paris of the French Republic, during which a solemn official welcoming ceremony of the Head of Tajik state took place in the Court of Honor of the Hôtel national des Invalides of France as well as top-level meetings and talks of the President of the country were held with the President of France His Excellency Mr. Emmanuel Macron and with the President of the French Senate Mr. Gerard Larcher, Director-General of UNESCO Ms. Audrey Azoulay. While in Paris, Leader of the Nation also officially inaugurated together with the French President E. Macron on October 13 the Exhibition of historical items titled “Tajikistan – the Land of Golden Rivers” (which will be open until 10 January 2022) at the National Museum of Asian Arts “Guimet”, and on October 14 the President of Tajikistan, along with UNESCO Director-General Ms. Audrey Azoulay, President of the UNESCO Executive Board Mr. Agapito Mba Mokuy, Secretary of State of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs Mr. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, and in the presence of the diplomatic corps and the Tajik community members in Paris, officials and representatives of French government agencies took part and spoke at the opening ceremony of the Day of Culture of Tajikistan in UNESCO (featuring the Exhibition of folk arts and crafts and national garments of Tajikistan as well as grand gala-concert with the participation of a wide range of Tajik masters of arts and talented youth of the country) on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the State Independence of the Republic of Tajikistan.

Inter-parliamentary ties

Inter-parliamentary ties between Tajikistan and France are well established. Deputies of the Majlisi namoyandagon and two chambers of the French Parliament in the course of meetings and mutual visits touch upon the development of the relations between the two countries. Groups of friendship and cooperation function between the parliaments of Tajikistan and France.

Cooperation in the military and security spheres

The visits of the French Minister of Defense Mrs. Michele Alliot-Marie to the Republic of Tajikistan on December 17-19, 2005, July 20-21 and December 16-18, 2006, demonstrate the high level of military cooperation between the two countries. As part of these visits, the Minister of Defense of the French Republic had meetings with the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, during which military cooperation was discussed. In December 2002, the Agreement on cooperation between the military agencies of the two states was signed. This agreement provided for the establishment of cooperation in the training of military personnel for Tajikistan. Within the framework of this document, Tajik officers take part annually and increase their knowledge and skills in exercises and activities conducted in accordance with the military cooperation plan.

Cooperation in the fields of science, culture and diaspora

Tajikistan and France have established relations in the spheres of culture, science, technology and education on the basis of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the French Republic on cooperation in the cultural, scientific and technical fields (December 4, 2002). According to this agreement, the Cultural Center "Bactria" (Bokhtar) operates in Dushanbe, which annually organizes cultural and educational events, including the Week of Francophonie, the screening of French films, the exhibition of books and paintings, French language competitions, etc. At the same time, the CC "Bactria" offers French courses for all comers.

The Cultural Association of the Tajiks of France "Ravzana" and the Association of Tajik Students in France function in order to maintain the spirit of patriotism and national unity, permanent contacts with Tajiks living in France, protect their rights and interests and promote national values and Tajik culture in the French Republic.

On August 31, 2017, in Paris, the Framework Agreement on cooperation between the Tajik National University and the Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University was signed. According to the agreement, it is planned to establish cooperation between the two higher educational institutions in such areas as tourism, business management and economics, and geography.

Starting from October 3, 2013, the Tajik language has been introduced into the curriculum of the National Institute of Oriental Languages of the French Republic under the title of "Tajik language and culture".

For those who wish to study in France, since September 2016, the office of the Campus France Agency for Higher Education has been opened at the Cultural Center "Bactria" (Dushanbe), which helps and guides those who are interested in finding study scholarships in French universities.

The Exhibition of historical items of Tajikistan titled “Tajikistan - the Land of Golden Rivers” took place in the “Guimet” National Museum of Asian Arts in Paris from 13 October 2021 to 10 January 2022. The official inauguration ceremony of the Exhibition was held on 13 October 2021 with the participation of heads of two states – the Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation, President of Tajikistan His Excellency Mr. Emomali Rahmon and the President of the French Republic His Excellency Mr. Emmanuel Macron. The President of the country His Excellency Mr. Emomali Rahmon introduced to his colleague Emmanuel Macron and his accompanying delegation the history and civilization of the noble Tajik people, contribution of its outstanding sons to the development of human civilization, historical sites, statehood of Tajiks in different centuries and antiquity of treasured land of Tajikistan. For the worthy presentation of rich and ancient history and culture as well as supreme arts and crafts of Tajik nation at “Guimet” Museum 211 artifacts were brought from National Museum of Tajikistan and National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan (including the items of Neolithic and Bronze ages from ancient town of Sarazm, which is inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List) as well as a number of unique items of “Oxus Treasury” from British Museum (London) through which all the natural beauties and unique history of Tajik people were displayed to the people of France and Europe. The visitors of the exhibition had the opportunity to enrich their spiritual world through various historical periods of the Tajik nation, such as "Zoroastrianism", "Achaemenid Empire", "Greek-Bactrian State", "Kushan Empire", "Sassanid State" and "Samanid State". This is the largest exhibition of Tajikistan, which was presented to date to the Western world on the European continent.   

Regional cooperation and interaction within the international organizations

Tajikistan and France are members of a number of international organizations. The countries have established fruitful cooperation within the framework of the United Nations, the OSCE, the European Union, the WTO and UNESCO.

Since 2007, the countries have been cooperating in the framework of the "European Union Strategy for Central Asia", which is primarily aimed at regional integration, sustainable development of countries and improvement of infrastructures in Central Asia. On September 17-18, 2008, at the initiative of France, the First European Union and Central Asia Security Forum took place in Paris, which was attended by the foreign ministers of the EU Troika, Central Asian countries, as well as representatives of the UN, NATO, SCO, the Eurasian Economic Community and the CSTO. At this forum, the countries agreed on strengthening partnerships in the fields of politics, economy and energy cooperation. On the margins of the forum, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan H.Zarifi had meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the French Republic B.Kouchner and other colleagues from the EU member countries, during which the sides discussed regional problems, issues of combating illicit drug trafficking and border management, as well as developments in Afghanistan and the region.

On June 12, 2008, in Paris, on the initiative of the French side, the International Conference on Afghanistan was held under the chairmanship of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. In the conference, Afghan President Hamid Karzai presented his country's development strategy and donor countries expressed their readiness to provide new financial assistance for the purposes of post-war reconstruction of Afghanistan. The delegation of the country headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan took part in the work of the conference and held fruitful meetings with the heads of the participating delegations.

It should be emphasized that Tajikistan supports France in addressing global issues of environmental protection and adaptation to climate change, and France supports Tajikistan in promoting its global initiatives in the field of rational use and effective management of water resources. Thus, on November 30, 2015, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon took part in the work of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21), which was held in Paris. On April 22, 2016, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan S.Aslov took part in the Ceremony of signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which was held at the UN headquarters in New York, and signed this agreement on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan.

On November 9-12, 2021, delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the National Commission of the Republic of Tajikistan for UNESCO Sirojiddin Muhriddin, including Minister of Culture Zulfiya Davlatzoda, President of the National Academy of Sciences Farhod Rahimi, Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Tajikistan to UNESCO J.Ubaidullo and the Secretary General of the Republic of Tajikistan for UNESCO Z.Burkhon took part in the 41st session of the General Conference of UNESCO in Paris, France. On November 9-11, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, Chairman of the National Commission of the Republic of Tajikistan for UNESCO Sirojiddin Muhriddin held fruitful meetings with the Director-General of UNESCO Ms. Audrey Azoulay, the Chairperson of the Executive Board of UNESCO H.E. Mr. Agapito Mba Mokuy and the Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Natural Sciences Ms. Shamila Nair-Bedouelle. On November 11, the head of the Tajik delegation S.Muhriddin spoke at the General Policy Debate of the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference. It should be noted that on November 11, during the 41st session of the General Conference of UNESCO, upon on the recommendation of the Executive Board of UNESCO and according to Resolution 41 C / 15 of the General Conference, nomination of Tajikistan for the 2500th anniversary of the ancient town of Takhti Sangin and joint nomination of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran on the 1050th anniversary of the birth of prominent scholar of East Abu Rayhan Biruni were included in the List of anniversaries celebrated in association with UNESCO in 2022-2023.

During his working visit to Paris on November 10-12, 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan S.Muhriddin also met with Advisor to the President of France on Continental Europe and Turkey Ms. Isabelle Dumont, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Mr. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, and the Director of the National Museum of Asian Arts - "Guimet" of Paris Ms. Sophie Macariou.

Representations of France in Tajikistan

• Embassy of France in Tajikistan, https://tj.ambafrance.org/-Russe-
• “Bactria” Cultural Center, http://www.bactriacc.org/index.php/ru/

Representations of Tajikistan in France

• Embassy of Tajikistan in France
• Cultural Association of the Tajiks of France "Ravzana"
• Association of Tajik Students in France, https://www.facebook.com/AssociationOfTajikStudentsInFrance/

Order of issuance of visa and stay in France

• Order of issuance of Schengen visa and national visa

Schengen visa (up to 90 days) is issued by the Consular section of the Embassy of Germany: 59/1, I.Somoni street, 734064, Dushanbe, tel.: + 992 43 377 30 00

Detailed information can be found in the website of the Embassy of Germany – https://duschanbe.diplo.de/tj-ru/service/05-VisaEinreise/-/1204564

Requests for national visa (more than 90 days) should be sent to the Consulate General of France in Almaty. Detailed information can be found in the website of the Consulate General – https://kz.ambafrance.org/-Vizy-vo-Franciyu,130-

Commissions intergouvernementales

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