Talibs amid Gadoev’s visit: “We have no problems with Tajikistan”

The Taliban leadership stated that there are no security issues between Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

The spokesperson for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in an interview with Afghan television TOLO News that the Taliban maintain good relations with Tajik border guards, and cooperation in the field of security continues.

According to him, all issues related to the protection of the state border and the fight against drug smuggling are resolved in accordance with intergovernmental and international agreements.

“We assure that Tajikistan or any other country has nothing to fear from the territory of Afghanistan,” the Taliban spokesperson stated.

He also characterized relations with Tajikistan as “positive” and stated that Kabul seeks to strengthen mutual trust with neighboring countries. However, the official authorities of Tajikistan, as before, do not respond to such statements from the Taliban and continue to consider Afghanistan a potential source of regional threats on international platforms.

It should be noted that Tajikistan is the only country in Central Asia that has not yet established official relations with the Taliban government since their rise to power in 2021, although it continues to supply Tajik electricity to Afghanistan. Moreover, until last year, Tajikistan provided refuge to anti-Taliban forces and opposition on its territory.

Meanwhile, the countries of the region – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan – are rapidly developing economic cooperation and logistics projects with the Taliban. Furthermore, all these countries, except for Turkmenistan, have already removed the Taliban from their lists of terrorist and extremist organizations.

The statement by the spokesperson for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, came against the backdrop of the visit of Tajik opposition figure Sharofiddin Gadoev to Afghanistan.

The leader of the opposition Movement for Reform and Development of Tajikistan, Sharofiddin Gadoev, arrived in Kabul on April 30 for a working visit.

As the leader of the Movement for Reform and Development of Tajikistan reported in an interview with Azda.tv, Sharofiddin Gadoev arrived in Kabul at the invitation of the head of the non-governmental analytical organization Sahar Discourse Center, Fazal Rahman Ori, with the aim of developing partnership interaction. The leader of the Movement for Reform and Development noted that he held bilateral negotiations with representatives of non-governmental and public organizations in Afghanistan. Gadoev’s working visit to Afghanistan is ongoing.

It is unknown whether Sharofiddin Gadoev met with representatives of the Afghan authorities during his working visit. Currently, this is the first visit by a representative of the Tajik opposition to Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power.

The Taliban themselves have not yet commented on the visit of the Tajik opposition figure.

Experts note that this visit could not have taken place without the knowledge and permission of the Taliban government.

The authorities of Tajikistan have not yet reacted to the trip of one of the Tajik opposition figures to the neighboring country.

Vale Abdullohi Rahnamo, a political expert and supporter of the policies of the authoritarian president of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, called Gadoev’s trip to Kabul “negative,” “suspicious,” “dangerous,” and “a national disgrace.”

At the same time, Abdullo Rahnamo, a political expert and supporter of the policies of the authoritarian president of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, described Gadoev’s visit to Kabul as “negative,” “suspicious,” “dangerous,” and “a national disgrace.”

“Given the current conditions, without close cooperation with the Taliban group and without coordination with the intelligence services of influential countries, the visit of an active political figure from abroad to Afghanistan is simply impossible; undoubtedly, this visit, especially if it is directed against Tajikistan and its political system, is a troubling and negative signal for all Tajiks around the world,” said Abdullo Rahnamo.

However, the leader of the Movement for Reform and Development, Sharofiddin Gadoev, stated that the purpose of the visit is to develop joint mechanisms to strengthen stability, establish direct and substantive dialogue between the civil societies of Tajikistan and Afghanistan, and strengthen fraternal relations between the peoples.

The leader of the Movement for Reform and Development of Tajikistan expressed hope that with the start of these negotiations and cooperation, they would be able to establish political and cultural activities in Afghanistan.