Tajikistan Reaffirms Support for the People of Afghanistan at the UN

Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin told the United Nations General Assembly that Afghanistan needs peace, stability and genuine economic opportunities more than ever, and that Dushanbe will continue to support the Afghan people and regional engagement to help stabilise the country.

He said lasting peace cannot be achieved without development, equal opportunities, public participation and hope for the future. According to him, Tajikistan’s experience, given its long border with Afghanistan, highlights the importance of crisis prevention, maintaining stability and expanding regional cooperation.

The Tajik foreign minister also pointed to development pressures on developing countries, especially mountainous and landlocked states. He added that these countries face double challenges on the path to growth and stability.

In another part of his remarks, Muhriddin also described climate change and the water crisis as major challenges, saying the world still has a long way to go before universal access to clean water and sanitation is achieved. He also called terrorism, extremism, cybercrime, drug and arms trafficking, and organised criminal networks serious cross-border threats to regional and international security.

Tajikistan, which shares more than 1,400 kilometres of border with Afghanistan, has repeatedly expressed concern in recent years about insecurity in northern Afghanistan and the expansion of drug trafficking. Dushanbe has also stressed continued humanitarian aid, electricity exports and efforts to address border security through regional bodies such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, while criticising the current political structure in Kabul.