At the initiative of the Tajik side, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had a telephone conversation with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.

Against the background of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and its negative impact on the world community, the heads of state discussed issues of ensuring regional epidemiological and economic security. They also exchanged information on measures and practical steps taken by the governments of the two countries in the fight against COVID-19.

In this context, President Rahmon commended Kazakhstan’s decisions to prevent the spread of this dangerous infection and provide timely assistance to both citizens and domestic small and medium-sized businesses.

Emomali Rahmon thanked Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for the solidarity and support of the Tajik people in a difficult time for everyone, including provision of humanitarian assistance in the form of 5,000 tons of flour in response to the appeal of Tajikistan. He also expressed gratitude for assistance in the evacuation of Tajik citizens to their homeland and the smooth transit of goods through checkpoints on the state border of Kazakhstan.

In turn, President Tokayev noted that the traditionally friendly relations between Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are characterized by mutual support and openness.

“Kazakhstan is the second largest trading partner of Tajikistan, and we are interested in further increasing the bilateral trade turnover, in particular, through mutual supplies of food products,” the Head of State said.

During the discussion on the international agenda, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed that our countries fruitfully cooperate in bilateral and multilateral formats, including the UN platforms and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). In this regard, President Tokayev expressed gratitude to President Rahmon for his continued support for the further institutional development of the Kazakhstan initiative.

Based on the importance of preserving the welfare and security of our peoples, and Central Asia as a whole, both agreed to instruct their governments to consider the possibility to support some of the specific proposals of Tajikistan’s President.

At the end of the talks, Emomali Rahmon conveyed his best wishes and greetings to the First President of Kazakhstan – Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev.