Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the independence of Tajikistan as a Persian-speaking country in Central Asia, Iran became the first country to recognize it and open an embassy in Dushanbe. Iran's role in ending the civil conflict and concluding a national peace and reconciliation agreement in the country led Tajikistan to consider Iran as a friend, brother and language-speaking country capable of political solidarity.But relations cooled until 2019 after the invitation of Muhiddin Kabiri, the leader of the Opposition Movement of the Islamic Movement (IRPT), to a conference in Tehran in December 2015. (Map quoted from Yahoo’s image)

In 2019, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani paid a visit to Tajikistan. Also in the past few months, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke with his Tajik counterpart, and relations between Tehran and Dushanbe have become closer and there have been many higher-level visits Although some bilateral security agreements have already been reached in areas such as the fight against terrorism, etc., the visit of the Tajik military delegation headed by Tajik Defense Minister Shir Ali Mirza to Tehran could have important consequences in the development of military and defense relations. 

 In fact, a wide range of meetings and visits and the conclusion of a memorandum of defense cooperation between the two countries took place. At the bilateral level, the development of security and defense interactions between Iran and Tajikistan took place after a period of several years of coldness. Although the dimensions of this convergence and its major parts have not been made public, it seems that the main axes of this memorandum have been in the field of joint programs, training and equipment supply.

In addition, they will consider the establishment of a joint working group between the armed forces of the two countries, the development of military relations and the future of Iran-Tajikistan defense and military relations. In fact, one of the most important consequences could be the settlement of disagreements between the two countries, the increasing promotion and resumption of military and defense relations, and even arms cooperation (given the lifting of arms sanctions according to UN Security Council Resolution 2231).

In the eyes of many in Dushanbe, Tajikistan has little defensive or military power in the Central Asian region, and membership in the CIS and Shanghai organizations does little to strengthen Tajikistan's power.

Under these circumstances, establishing and rebuilding relations between Tajikistan and Iran could greatly assist Tajikistan in the field of security and military. In fact, the MOU could help secure the 1,344-kilometer Tajik-Afghan border, and tackle problems such as drug trafficking and expansion the influence of extremist groups. While the Tajikistan's economy is growing well, and that Iran has been excluded from Tajikistan's main trading partners since 2013, The growing situation of relationships could rebuild the scope of bilateral economic relations.

On the other hand, increasing security and defense cooperation with Tehran provides a balancing lever for Dushanbe. Meanwhile, escalating border disputes with Kyrgyzstan and Iran’s help could somehow increase Tajikistan's deterrent capability by expanding the country's armed forces and using the two countries' experiences.

Tajikistan has already stepped up its efforts in the international arena through multilateral relations in various fields with other countries and powers. So as Dushanbe is under increasing pressure from Russia to join the Eurasian Economic Union on Monday, it is trying to expand its ties with Tehran and pursue the goal of reducing its dependence on Russia and even China.

Farzad Ramezani Bonesh

Senior Researcher and Analyst of International Affairs