On 6 and 7 December 2023, Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, hosted political consultations between Latvia and Tajikistan, at which the diplomats discussed a wide range of topics concerning bilateral cooperation and the current regional and international agenda. Latvia was represented at the consultations by the Director of the First Bilateral Relations Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uldis Mikuts, and Tajikistan, by the Director of the Department of European and American Countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sohibnazar Gayratsho.
Uldis Mikuts emphasized Latvia’s interest in developing a dialogue with Tajikistan and noted that on 11 May next year, Latvia and Tajikistan would mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.
In a discussion on relations between the European Union (EU) and Tajikistan, Uldis Mikuts noted that Latvia welcomed the adoption of a Joint Roadmap for Deepening Ties between the EU and Central Asia this past October, and he underlined the need to work on its implementation.
Previous political consultations between Latvia and Tajikistan took place in Dushanbe in 2014.
During the visit, the Latvian delegation also met with the management of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, as well as the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies for a discussion on the potential for economic cooperation in the areas such as transport and logistics, digitalisation, green technologies, agriculture and product certification. The officials agreed to evaluate possibilities for the implementation of development cooperation projects in order to promote reforms and modernization of Tajikistan.
The representatives of the Foreign Ministry also met with members of the diplomatic corps in Tajikistan and local researchers of regional policy.