Cooperation of the Republic of Tajikistan and
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

By joining the OSCE the Republic of Tajikistan aimed at using experience of Organization, its authority and resources for the democratic transformation of society, maintaining and strengthening security at the national, regional and international levels, as well as the establishment of the key elements of civil society.

Intensive cooperation between Tajikistan and the OSCE has begun in 1994. During this year meaningful and multifaceted cooperation between Tajikistan and the OSCE as well as its institutions was established.

OSCE Mission in Tajikistan was opened on 17 February 1994 as the first Organization's presence in the country. The legal basis for the establishment of this field office was a mechanism for consultation and cooperation with regard to emergencies, developed in the First Berlin Meeting of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers, held in June 1991. The Decision on the establishment of the OSCE Mission in Tajikistan was adopted at 4th Meeting of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers in December 1, 1993 in Rome. The mission was entrusted with a task to help for stabilization of the situation in the country and to create favorable conditions for the promotion of democratic processes.

The first three branches of the OSCE Mission were opened in 1995 in Shaartuz, Dusti and Kurgan-Tube, whose task was the implementation of the Mission's mandate and contribute to the protection of civil rights of refugees. Subsequently, the activities of these offices became regulated under the new mandate of the OSCE Office. On October 1996 the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan adopted its Decision to open Permanent Mission to the OSCE in Vienna and the first Permanent Representative of the country was appointed.

Since the first mandate of the OSCE Mission in 1993, situation drastically changed in Tajikistan. Most of the tasks assigned to the mission for the post-conflict period have lost their relevance. Hence, a new mandate of the OSCE Mission in Tajikistan to convert it to the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe with an expanded mandate was approved by decision of the OSCE Permanent Council №500 on October 31, 2002.

Given the qualitative change in the socio - political life in the country after the adoption of the mandate of the OSCE Center in Dushanbe, Tajikistan came out with new initiatives related to the status of the Office in 2007. During negotiations between Tajikistan, OSCE Chairmanship, as well as OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre draft decision of the OSCE Permanent Council has been prepared and adopted at the regular meeting of the Council on 19 June 2008. In accordance with this decision, the OSCE Centre became the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.

In order to improve forms of cooperation between Tajikistan and the OSCE, align these activities with the evolving needs and priorities of the host country, enhance the efficiency of field activities of the OSCE Office in the country Tajikistan initiated the process of modifying the country's co-operation with the OSCE through further changing the existing mandate of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan in 2016. As a result of negotiations and consultations the OSCE Office in Tajikistan has been transformed into the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe with the effect from July 1, 2017 by the decision of the Permanent Council №1251 on June 1, 2017.

Border management is one of the priorities for Tajikistan and in this regard OSCE more active engagement in this field was proposed by Tajikistan. In order to train and enhance capacity of border structures of OSCE participating states and partners for co-operation the OSCE Border Management Staff College was established in Dushanbe on May 27, 2009.

In 2007 Task force OSCE-Tajikistan was created and hold its meetings regularly to discuss implementation of projects, achieved results and plans for the next year. Since 1996 Tajikistan established close cooperation with OSCE Secretariat and institutions such as Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Office of High Commissioner on National Minorities, Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Being, Representative on the Freedom of Media.

OSCE Secretary General has paid several working visits to Tajikistan. Secretary General also meets with Tajik officials on the regular basis. Tajikistan keeps close cooperation with the OSCE Chairmanships and hosts working visits by Chairperson-in-Office. On 2 April 2015 for the first time OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić participated and addressed CSTO Council of Ministers meeting chaired by Tajikistan Foreign Minister and took place in Dushanbe. On April 1, 2016 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany and acting chairman of the OSCE Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in the Republic of Tajikistan.

In order to mark 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act Serbian Chairmanship organized and Government of Finland hosted the OSCE Informal High-Level Meeting in Helsinki on July 10, 2015. Representatives of OSCE participating states and partners for co-operation took part at this meeting at different level. Tajikistan was represented at this event by Permanent Representative to the OSCE and other International Organizations in Vienna.

Summits of the Heads of participating States CSCE/OSCE

Tajikistan as the full participant of the CSCE/OSCE was actively involved in the process of further development, including the transformation of the Conference into the organization. President of Tajikistan Rahmon Nabiev took part in the work of the Helsinki CSCE Summit in 1992 for the first time. At the next OSCE Summits held in Budapest (1994), Lisbon (1996), Istanbul (1999) and Astana (2010) delegation of Tajikistan headed by President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon took part.

OSCE Ministerial Council Meetings

• The meetings of the Ministerial Council are conducted annually. Delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan participated in Ministerial Council since 1994.
• The 5th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held on 7-8 December 1995 in Budapest, Hungary http://www.osce.org/mc/58713
• The 6th Ministerial Council took place in Copenhagen under the Danish Chairmanship of the OSCE on 18-19 December 1996 http://www.osce.org/event/mc_1997
• The 7th OSCE Ministerial Council was held on 2 and 3 December 1998 in Oslo, Norway http://www.osce.org/event/mc_1998
• The 8th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held on November 27-28, 2000 in Vienna (Austria). The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Talbak Nazarov took part at the meeting; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2000
• The 9th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held on December 3-4, 2001 in Bucharest (Romania). The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan was headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Talbak Nazarov; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2001
• The 10th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held on December 6-7, 2002 in Porto (Portugal). The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan was headed at this meeting by Minister of Foreign Affairs Talbak Nazarov; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2002
• The 11th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held on December 1-2, 2003 in Maastricht (Netherland). The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Talbak Nazarov took part at the meeting; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2003
• The 12th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held on December 6-7, 2004 in Sofia (Bulgaria) where the delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Talbak Nazarov took part at the meeting. http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2004
• The 13th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held on December 5-6, 2005 in Ljubljana (Slovenia). The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan was represented at this meeting by Minister of Foreign Affairs Talbak Nazarov; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2005
• The 14th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held on December 4-5, 2006 in Brussels (Belgium). The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan was headed by Special Representative of the President of Tajikistan Talbak Nazarov at the meeting; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2006
• The 15th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held on December 4-5, 2007 in Madrid (Spain). The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamrokhon Zarifi took part at the meeting; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2007
• The 16th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held on December 6-7, 2008 in Helsinki (Finland). The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan was represented by the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Yuldashev at this meeting; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2008
• The 17th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held on December 1-2, 2009 in Athens (Greece). The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamrokhon Zarifi took part in the meeting; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2009
• The 18th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held on December 6-7, 2011 in Vilnius (Lithuania). The official delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamrokhon Zarifi took part in the meeting; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2011
• The 19th Meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council was held on December 6 -7, 2012 in Dublin (Ireland). The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamrokhon Zarifi took part in the meeting; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2012
• The 20th OSCE Ministerial Council was held on December 5-6, 2013, in Kyiv (Ukraine). The Delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Nizomiddin Zohidov participated at the meeting http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2013
• 21st OSCE Ministerial Council took place on 4-5 December, 2014 in Basel, Switzerland. The delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojidin Aslov participated at the meeting; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2014
• The 22nd Meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council was held on December 3-4, 2015 in Belgrade, Serbia. The Delegation of Tajikistan headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirodjidin Aslov has participated and made a statement at the plenary session; http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2015
• On 1 September 2016, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirodjidin Aslov has taken part in the Informal meeting of the OSCE Foreign Ministers, held in the German city of Potsdam, at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany - the OSCE Chairman-in-Office; http://www.osce.org/cio/260266
• The 23rd OSCE Ministerial Council was held on December 8-9, 2016 in Hamburg, Germany. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirodjidin Aslov has participated and made a statement at the plenary session. http://www.osce.org/event/mc_2016