Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - The head of the department of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Amir Salyamov shared this opinion at the scientific and practical conference "New points of growth for further expansion and strengthening of cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Tajikistan" June this year in Dushanbe.

According to him, the Uzbek and Tajik peoples are linked by centuries-old ties of friendship and good neighborliness, they are united by a common history, religion, culture, and the unity of spiritual values. In this vein, the strengthening of cultural and humanitarian ties between the two states is the key to multifaceted and fruitful cooperation.

The expert also drew attention to some key aspects, thanks to which the bilateral interaction between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan has reached a completely new level.

First, the fateful and breakthrough in importance mutual state visits of the leaders of the two countries in 2018 gave a powerful impetus to the development of a multifaceted partnership between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. As a result, 54 documents were signed, affecting all areas of bilateral cooperation.

In particular, the signing of the Treaty on the State Border and the intergovernmental Agreement on mutual trips of citizens became a long-awaited event for the peoples of the two countries. As a result of the opening of all 17 checkpoints and the abolition of the visa regime in 2018, 1.1 million Tajiks visited Uzbekistan. In 2019, the indicator increased by almost 40%, amounting to 1.5 million.

As Amir Salyamov noted, the pandemic had a negative impact on this dynamics. So, in 2020, 337 thousand citizens of Tajikistan visited Uzbekistan - more than 22% of the total number of foreign guests.

In turn, in 2020, about 410 thousand foreign citizens visited Tajikistan, among whom the largest number of Uzbeks - about 300 thousand.

Secondly, the contacts of the creative intelligentsia have become more frequent.

In 2017, after a 20-year break, Tajikistan hosted the Days of Culture of Uzbekistan and reciprocal Days of the Culture of Tajikistan in Uzbekistan. Theatrical and film festivals and art exhibitions are also successfully held. Cultural events are perceived with great interest by the public of our countries. Moreover, as the expert emphasized, work in this direction has not become a one-time action, but is of a regular nature.

Thirdly, cooperation in the scientific and educational sphere has significantly intensified. The intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in higher education and science signed in 2018 gave a powerful impetus to deepening cooperation in this direction. In particular, the number of citizens of Tajikistan studying in higher educational institutions of Uzbekistan has significantly increased. So, if in 2016 the total number of Tajik students was only 16 people, then today 110 students from Tajikistan study in 30 universities.

Fourthly, consistent work is being carried out in the field of health care. As a result of the abolition of the visa regime, the creation of favorable conditions for receiving medical services for citizens of Tajikistan, the number of Tajik medical tourists has significantly increased. So, if in 2016 229 people visited Uzbekistan for the purpose of treatment and recovery, then in 2019 this figure was about 6 thousand.

In general, as the expert concluded, the intensity of cultural and humanitarian contacts carried out over the past year demonstrates the desire of the parties to actively develop this area.

The scientific-practical conference "New points of growth for further expansion and strengthening of cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Tajikistan" was organized by the International Institute of Central Asia jointly with the Center for Strategic Research under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan.

The forum was attended by leading experts from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, including the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Center for Economic Research and Reforms under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. From the Tajik side, experts from the Center for Geopolitical Research, the Institute of Language and Literature, the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan and others participated.