The working visit of the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, to the city and districts of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region has concluded. From October 12 to 14, President Emomali Rahmon, during his working visit to the city of Khorog and the districts of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, inaugurated a number of facilities. The president also […]
The working visit of the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, to the city and districts of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region has concluded.
From October 12 to 14, President Emomali Rahmon, during his working visit to the city of Khorog and the districts of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, inaugurated a number of facilities.
The president also met with leaders and activists of the region.
During his speeches and meetings, Rahmon once again emphasized the importance of combating extremism, developing tourism in the region, and, as always, compared economic indicators with those from thirty years ago.
In particular, Rahmon stated that during the period of independence, 3,765 hectares of land were allocated for the construction of residential houses for more than 37,000 families in the region, which is more than three times what was provided before 1991.
Also, during the meeting with the region’s activists, the President of Tajikistan pointed out the development of industry, stating that over the years of independence, more than 100 new industrial enterprises have been established, including 56 in just the last two years.
Rahmon also stated that industrial production in the region has increased from 10 types in 1991 to more than 60 types.
Emomali Rahmon also noted that the volume of industrial production in the region reached 215 million somoni in 2023, which is 3.5 times more than in 1993.
However, Rahmon did not explain why, despite the increase in the number of industrial enterprises and production volume, the full industrial potential of the region is still not being utilized.
Nevertheless, Rahmon instructed the government, the Ministry of Industry, and other relevant ministries and agencies of the country to “take concrete measures to attract domestic and foreign investments for the establishment of production enterprises.”
Rahmon also ordered to accelerate the development of mineral deposits and occurrences, as, according to him, the region “has rich natural resources,” with “dozens of deposits and occurrences of minerals.”
Rahmon also expressed dissatisfaction with the number of foreign tourists, stating that in 2023 and for the first six months of 2024, only 50,000 foreign tourists visited the region, which is very few.
The President of Tajikistan claims that crime in the region has decreased compared to previous years. However, he expressed concern about “the involvement of some residents of the region, including youth, in banned movements, committing terrorist and extremist crimes, including residents of the Vanch district, with dozens of them currently wanted for committing these crimes.”
Earlier, in 2021-2022, by the order of Rahmon himself, law enforcement agencies killed dozens of residents of this region under the pretext of fighting terrorism and extremism, as well as detained and imprisoned for many years a number of civil activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and informal leaders of GBAO.
An anonymous source from Azda.tv reported that prior to President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, Tajik special services, to ensure the safety of the President of Tajikistan, negotiated with the Taliban government and requested permission to deploy one of the deputies of the head of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan, Saymumin Yatimov, and 50 special forces on Afghan territory, in a border area with GBAO. The source noted that this group was there until the end of Rahmon’s working trip.
Although the Tajik authorities cooperate with the Taliban, President Rahmon officially takes a tough anti-Taliban stance and sharply criticizes the Taliban movement everywhere, including from high world and international platforms, calling for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.
On the other hand, the Taliban also allows the deployment of foreign military forces on Afghan territory after they fought for 20 years against American and Western forces, which led to the complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Experts point out that this fact indicates close cooperation between Tajik security agencies and the Taliban.
The Tajik authorities and the Taliban government have not yet made any official statements.