About two weeks after Tajikistan protested the visit of the leader of the opposition in that country to Tehran, the Iranian ambassador in Dushanbe delivered a message from Mohammad Javad Zarif to his Tajik counterpart, expressing the Islamic Republic's willingness to cooperate in "countering the rise of extremism in this country and the region." Hojjatollah Faghani, the Iranian ambassador to Tajikistan, met with the country's foreign minister on Thursday, January 24, and delivered Mohammad Javad Zarif's message to him. According to the Iranian embassy's website in Dushanbe, Mr. Faghani stated that "in the current sensitive situation to counter the rise of extremism" in Tajikistan and the entire region, "we are ready to cooperate." Based on this report, Sirojiddin Aslov, the Tajik foreign minister, also expressed hope during this meeting that after the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, relations between the two countries would "grow further in the economic fields." The Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs had officially protested on Tuesday, December 29, by summoning the Iranian ambassador to the presence of Muhiddin Kabiri, the leader of the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, at the International Unity Conference in Tehran. This comes as two days before the delivery of Mohammad Javad Zarif's letter to his Tajik counterpart, the Iranian parliament approved the generalities of the security and law enforcement cooperation agreement with Tajikistan. The Tajik government, following the unrest last summer that led to the death of Abdolhalim Nazarzadeh, the former deputy defense minister of that country, labeled the Islamic Renaissance Party as "terrorist and extremist" and banned its activities. Mr. Kabiri left Tajikistan after his party was banned from representation in the country's winter elections and reportedly is in exile in a European country. About a week after the Iranian ambassador was summoned in Dushanbe, Nuriddin Saidov, the Tajik Minister of Education and Science, announced that due to security issues and Iran's "failure to fulfill its promises," the country would no longer send students to Iran.
Iranian Ambassador Meets with Tajik Foreign Minister
The Iranian ambassador to Tajikistan met with the Tajik foreign minister to discuss cooperation against extremism following Tajikistan's protest over the visit of an opposition leader to Tehran. This meeting comes amid strained relations due to the banning of the opposition party and Tajikistan's decision to stop sending students to Iran.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
The Iranian ambassador to Tajikistan met with the Tajik foreign minister to discuss cooperation against extremism, following a diplomatic protest by Tajikistan over an opposition leader's visit to Tehran.
- Iran expressed willingness to cooperate with Tajikistan against extremism.
- Tajikistan had protested the visit of an opposition leader to Iran.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Tajikistan's government has been cracking down on opposition groups, labeling them as extremist, which complicates its relations with Iran, a country with historical and cultural ties to Tajikistan.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
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Translation confidence: 85%