Tajik-Russian negotiations at the level of the foreign ministries of the two countries

On May 21, 2024, in Astana, at the initiative of the Russian side, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, held a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, the heads of the foreign policy agencies of the two countries discussed a range of issues regarding Tajik-Russian relations, focusing on the implementation of the agreements reached on May 9, 2024, by the heads of state of Tajikistan and Russia.

Earlier, during the military parade on Victory Day in Moscow, a meeting took place between the foreign ministers of Tajikistan and Russia. At that time, the visit of the minister and the president of the country to Moscow caused a resonance in Tajik society, and many expressed the opinion on social media that after the mass insults and detentions of Tajik citizens in the capital and other regions of Russia, the leadership of Tajikistan should not have visited Russia.

This is the second meeting of the foreign ministers of Tajikistan and Russia following the mass detentions of Tajiks in Russia. After the bloody incident in Krasnogorsk, Russian authorities began to expel migrants from Tajikistan from the country, conducting mass raids on working migrants: security forces are taking people from dormitories, workplaces, and even mosques. Tajik citizens who do not have the necessary documents are being deported en masse from Russia, and those who arrive are often simply not allowed into the country under the pretext of “public danger.”

Against the backdrop of a sharp increase in pressure from Russian state structures on Tajik migrants, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan recommended that citizens refrain from traveling to Russia.