The meeting was held on the sidelines of the eighth meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian and Pacific Center for the Development of Disaster Information Management (APDIM) which was held in the Tajik capital Dushanbe on Friday.

In this meeting, Manzour referred to the upward trend of economic relations between the two countries and underlined the important role of powerful Iranian companies active in various sectors including mining, metal, agriculture, information technology, and knowledge-based industries in the development of cooperation between the two countries.

He noted that President Ebrahim Raisi believes that Tajikistan’s progress and security is Iran’s progress and security, emphasizing the necessity of mutual use of the capacities of the two friendly and brotherly countries for the development of relations in all areas.

Qahhorzoda for his part expressed his satisfaction with the development of relations between the two countries and called for an increase in the role of Iranian companies in the implementation of infrastructure projects in Tajikistan, including the construction of dams and hydroelectric power plants.

Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian has said the trade between Iran and Tajikistan has increased by 10 times over the past two years, Fars News Agency reported.

According to Mehrabian, the value of trade between the two countries which was $23 million in the Iranian calendar year 1399 (2020-2021) reached $280 million in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20, 2023).

The trade between the two countries also reached $150 million in the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-September 22) and it is expected to exceed $300 million by the end of the year (late March 2024).

“During the previous visit of President Raisi to Tajikistan, the two countries had set a $500 million target for the trade between the two sides and now considering the current trend of relations, a much higher goal can be set,” Mehrabian said.

Iran and Tajikistan on Novemebr 8 signed a joint statement and 18 cooperation documents and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to deepen bilateral strategic relations.

The joint statement was signed between President Raisi and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe.

The documents and MOUs were inked by the Iranian and Tajik ministers in the presence of the two presidents.

As reported, the documents and MOUs pertained to a roadmap for the long-term bilateral trade and economic cooperation till 2030, mutual visa-free access, anti-drug trafficking operations, transportation, crisis management and the establishment of joint free economic zones, as well as inter-city cooperation in various fields.

During a meeting earlier in the day, Raisi said Iran and Tajikistan could increase their annual trade transactions to $500 million in the first step.

Raisi stressed that historical, religious, and cultural commonalities shared by the two countries provide a favorable ground for enhancing bilateral relations in all aspects.

The Tajik president, for his part, highlighted the necessity to develop bilateral ties, particularly in mining, health, science and technology, and agriculture sectors

Heading a high-ranking delegation, Raisi arrived in Dushanbe on Novemebr 8. During the day, he also attended a meeting of the two countries’ traders and businessmen.

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A co-production between Iran and Tajikistan, the film is set to be submitted to the international feature film award at the 2024 Oscars.

The film has been officially nominated by TV Safina and the Union of Cinematographers of Tajikistan, as their official submission for the prestigious International Feature Film category at the next year’s Oscars.

The Union of Cinematographers of Tajikistan is an organization appointed by AMPAS to select the Tajikistan’s submission for consideration for the International Feature Film Award (formerly known as the Foreign Language Film Award) at the Oscars.

“Melody” tells the story of a young musician girl, Melody, who is determined to compose a heartfelt piece for children battling cancer, using the recorded sounds of thirty different birds, despite the presence of hunters in the area.

She returns to her home village in order to capture the beautiful sounds of the birds and receives assistance from the speechless caretaker of her family’s house, Mango.

After discovering a mere twenty birds, Mango reveals to her that the location of the remaining birds is known only to the wise village singer, who has been driven away from the village by the bird hunters. Melody embarks on a journey to locate both him and the missing birds.

Set in a stunning natural backdrop, the story unfolds amidst the enchanting beauty of the surroundings. Screenwriter Sebt Rasoul skillfully incorporates elements like birds, children, music, and nature itself to elevate the narrative, transforming the film into a mesmerizing experience.

Sebt Rasoul’s third feature film combines the captivating elements of social genre with a touch of mysticism.

The filmmaker has already enjoyed a remarkable presence in renowned international festivals and has now unveiled a poetic movie on the global stage.

The film stars Iranian actor Diman Zandi, Alireza Ostadi and Meghdad Eslami from Iran as well as    Safar Haqdodov and Zulfiya Sadikova from Tajikistan.

Dreamlab Films, the France-based international distributor under Iranian film expert Nasrin Mirshab, is handling the international sales and distribution of “Melody”.

Photo: A scene from “Melody” by Iranian director Behrouz Sebt Rasoul

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Speaking in the meeting, the Tajik ambassador emphasized that his country is eager for expanding trade ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran, IRNA reported.

Zeyghami for his part said that President Ebrahim Raisi’s administration attaches great importance to trade ties with neighboring countries, including Tajikistan, and proposed holding a joint business forum between the two countries during the Iranian president’s upcoming visit to Dushanbe.

He also pointed to the decrease in the volume of trade between the two countries and noted that TPO is conducting research for identifying the causes and is taking the necessary measures to remove the obstacles to the development of trade between Iran and Tajikistan.

The official further announced that Iran is going to dispatch a commercial attaché to Tajikistan by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (late March 2024).

“Attending international exhibitions in Tajikistan and exchanging trade delegations are also among the main programs of TPO in order to increase the volume of mutual trade,” Zeyghami emphasized.

He also underlined the ability of Iranian technical and engineering companies and called on the Tajik government to pave the way for the participation of such companies in important projects in Tajikistan.

Referring to the volume of commercial exchanges between Iran and Tajikistan in the first five months of this year, Zahedi noted that trade exchanges have decreased by nine percent compared to the same period last year.

“The volume of trade should increase considering Iran’s potentials and our interest in using all these potentials and capacities,” he stressed.

Referring to the planned visit of President Raisi to Tajikistan within the next two months, Zahedi said, “It is necessary to hold a business conference with the participation of tradesmen and business officials of the two countries in order to form a bond between the two sides.”

The diplomat further pointed to the Esteghlal Tunnel project which was carried out by Iranian companies in his country, saying “The connection between the north and the center of Tajikistan used to cut off [during winter], but the Esteghlal Tunnel resolved that problem.”

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In the match held at the Hisor Central Stadium in Hisor, Tajikistan, Somayeh Esmaeili scored a hat-trick, while Maryam Dini netted a brace. Maedeh Birang and Shadan Shahmiri scored a goal each.

Iran had lost to Uzbekistan 4-1 in their opening match.

Iran are scheduled to play Kyrgyzstan on Thursday.

Uzbekistan are the defending champions having won the inaugural tournament in 2021.

The tournament is being held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan from March 12 to 16.

The 2023 CAFA U17 Women’s Championship is the 2nd edition of the CAFA U-17 Women’s Championship, the international women’s youth football championship organized by Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) for the women’s under-17 national teams of Central Asia.

A total of four teams including host Tajikistan participate in the tournament, with Kyrgyz Republic debuting in the tournament.

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In a meeting on Monday in Tehran, Einollahi stated that one of our major goals is a broad and strong relationship with the neighboring countries, especially Tajikistan, to develop practical cooperation.

To carry out joint activities in the fields of information and knowledge exchange, control of communicable and non-communicable diseases, health insurance, medical education, medical equipment as well as cooperation with the World Health Organization, we are fully prepared, he noted.

“We have a fundamental problem in the country, and that is the cruel and inhumane sanctions of America and Europe against Iran. Although, in the end, this threat became an opportunity for us and we were able to achieve self-sufficiency and even export in many fields, for example, in the field of coronavirus vaccine and medicine, where we produced 98 percent of the medicine, through the knowledge-based developments,” he explained.

Ahmed al-Mandhari, the World Health Organization director for Eastern Mediterranean Region, has said Iran is a role model for primary health care.

Pointing to 800 research centers active in the country, he expressed readiness to begin joint research activities.

Abdullahzadeh also announced his readiness for more joint cooperation in the field of health with Iran and invited the Minister of Health and the President of Iran to visit Tajikistan.

Strongest health system in the region

Earlier in September, Einollahi said that Iran has one of the strongest health systems in the region and this opportunity should be used optimally in the field of health diplomacy.

Based on innovative indicators of health technology development in 2021, Iran was ranked 60th among 132 countries, which shows an improvement of 60 steps compared to 2014, the deputy health minister for research and technology, has announced.

A total of 1,670 knowledge-based firms are operating in the health sector, ISNA quoted Younes Panahi as saying.

He added that there are 13 science and technology parks and 95 technology growth centers in the field of health, while 343 technological products have so far been licensed, and 335 inventions in medical sciences have been patented.

The health technology development is evaluated by the Global Innovation Index with seven indicators, including institutional structure, human capital and research, infrastructure, market and business complexity, technological knowledge, and creativity, he explained.

In June 2021, Ahmed al-Mandhari, the World Health Organization director for Eastern Mediterranean Region, said the Islamic Republic of Iran is a role model for primary health care.

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Speaking to ILNA and when was asked whether Iran can take advantage of cultural commonalities with Tajikistan for developing extraterrestrial cultivation, Ali Rezavanizadeh  said that today Iran is facing with serious water tension and this woe has made the country face some challenges in creating food security.

He noted that to advance economic activities, one should consider several factors, adding that countries for extraterrestrial cultivation are chosen based on certain parameters by the association and with considering the defined indexes, agriculture has no economic justification in Tajikistan and for this reason this country is among the second or third priorities.

Rezvanzadeh noted that security in investment, diplomatic relation and ranking of the countries in the ease of doing business index are of the main parameters in choosing countries for extraterrestrial cultivation and having good water and land is not considered as the main criterion for choosing the country. He added that a country like Poland which enjoys having valuable water resources is considered as the second priority for the association because the economic background of Iranians in this country is not strong.

He reiterated that Iranians cannot do big agro business in Tajikistan because they can do the same job with the cost much lower in countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, Brazil and Ukraine.

He then pointed to the high cost of transportation to Tajikistan and said transportation of one ton of goods from Tajikistan to Iran costs between 80 to 100 dollars and by the way in Tajikistan you can cultivate once in a year while in Venezuela you can cultivate 3 times per year and transportation of each ton of goods from Venezuela to southern ports of Iran costs 55 dollars.

Rezvanzadeh reiterated that the first condition for starting an economic relation between the two states is to create security in the investment process and major part of it comes back to the governments’ commitment and if security is not restored in investment, investor sees himself a loser and does not dare to invest.

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Yasin Salmani made a hat trick in the first half at the Central Republican Stadium in Dushanbe.

Islom Zairov and Ehson Panshanbe were on target for the hosts.

Iran forward Arya Barzegar was shown a red card in the 86th minute.

Iran had already defeated Nepal and Lebanon in Group B.

Iran’s win sends them back to the continental Finals, but Tajikistan will have to wait to see if they will join them as one of the four best placed runners-up after they missed their chance to win the group.

In each group, teams play each other once at a centralized venue. The eleven group winners and the four best runners-up qualify for the final tournament.

A total of 16 teams will qualify to play in the final tournament, including Uzbekistan as hosts.

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Iran’s Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare inked an MOU with the Tajik Ministry of Health in the field of rehabilitation, injuries, and social protection.

The other one is signed with the Ministry of Labor, Migration, and Employment of Tajikistan on the exchange of experience in skills training, labor market policies, health, inspection, and labor relations.

Hojjatollah Abdol-Maleki, Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, said that one of the clauses of this memorandum is labor exchange. There is a shortage of skilled labor in Tajikistan, and this could be an opportunity to send technical workers to the neighboring country.

On September 16, an Iranian delegation headed by President Ebrahim Raisi embarked on a trip to attend the twentieth-anniversary summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tajikistan.

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The event titled “Investigating Opportunities for Trade Cooperation with Tajikistan” will be held online and with the aim of boosting Iranian businessmen’s knowledge of the Tajik market and elevating bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

The 14th meeting of Iran-Tajikistan Joint Economic Committee was held in Tajikistan in early June.

As reported, promoting economic relations was the major focus of the mentioned meeting which was co-chaired by Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian and Tajikistan’s Minister of Energy and Water Recourses Daler Juma.

Speaking in the opening ceremony, Ardakanian underlined the long historical, cultural, and economic relations between the two countries and said: “Considering the will of the top leaders of the two countries, the implementation of approved agreements requires serious determination [by the two sides].”

“One of the important factors for the expansion of trade relations between the two countries is the establishment of banking relations between the two countries and it is necessary for both sides to take necessary steps in this regard,” the Iranian minister stated.

Welcoming the Tajik side’s proposal for the expansion of Iran’s industrial investments in Tajikistan using the country’s workforce and resources, Ardakanian said: “Solving banking problems is a prerequisite for the development of Iranian investments [in Tajikistan].”

Further in the event, Juma welcomed the Iranian delegation, saying: “the 14th session of the Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation between the two countries will create a special movement in the promotion and development of economic relations between the two countries.”

Referring to trade relations and trade balance between the two countries in the past few years, he said: “based on the two sides’ import and export data, there is great potential for improving trade relations between the two countries.”

He mentioned the cooperation between the two countries in the construction of a dam and a hydroelectric power plant as successful examples of cooperation between the two countries, both of which were designed and built by specialized companies and put into operation by the presidents of the two countries.

Juma also referred to the agreement between the two countries for the implementation of a project to complete the facilities of the Tajikistan Esteghlal Tunnel and noted that his country is ready to fulfill its financial obligations in this regard.

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Speaking to Iran Daily in an exclusive interview, Kazem Shirdel added that Tehran-Dushanbe relations thawed after almost four years, and in June 2019, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin in a visit to Tehran invited Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to attend the fifth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), held on June 15, 2019.

The visiting Tajik foreign minister also called for the expansion of cooperation in different fields between Iran and Tajikistan, said Shirdel adding that President Rouhani’s visit to Tajikistan opened a new chapter in the two sides’ relations.

The official also said the political problem which had soured relations between Tehran and Dushanbe was resolved following visits by Rouhani and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to the Central Asian country.

Shirdel went on to say that the US and Iran’s enemies in the region are trying to spend a lot of money to stir up the mind of Tajik society against Iran and disrupt relations between the two nations.

Following the coronavirus outbreak, Turkmenistan closed Iran-Turkmenistan border crossings which has resulted in a halt in Iran’s exports of goods to Central Asian countries including Tajikistan, he said.

“So we export our goods to Uzbekistan, and then reexport to Tajikistan,” he said, “It is not easy to announce the statics of exports to Tajikistan, but we can say that 60 percent of the goods loaded to Uzbekistan are eventually exported to Tajikistan.”

Pointing to the boost of trade between Iran and Tajikistan during recent two years, Shirdel said Tajik traders have good cooperation with Iranian counterparts despite US sanctions.

It is about two months that rail trade has resumed, he said noting that Iranian traders have to spend an extra charge of $1,000-$1,200 for each wagon for reexport of goods to Tajikistan via Uzbekistan.

Raw materials, granules, tile, decorative stones, adhesives and materials for home appliances as well as plastic rolls are among the main exported commodities to Tajikistan, he added.

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