Relations Between I.R.Iran and republic of Tajikistan
Relations between I. R. Iran and Republic of Tajikistan
A summary of Mirza Shakurzadeh's Essay
Islamic Republic of Iran was the first country in the world that recognized Tajikistan's independence and opened its embassy to Dushanbe when Tajikistan declared independence on September 9th, 1991. Tajikistan's president has traveled to Iran since establishment of political ties between these two countries and his Iranian counterparts (Mr. Hashemi (1) and Mr. Khatami (2 has visited Dushanbe personally three times. More than 150 cooperation MOUs have been signed between two countries and several delegations including Iranian businessmen and investors have travelled to Tajikistan to be acquaint with its economic activities and signing agreements.
Vladimir Lenin's statue at the center of Dushanbe City was replaced with Ferdowsi statue; Dushanbe-Tehran airflight was opened; high-ranking leaders of the two countries made visits either in Tehran or in Dushanbe and important contracts and agreements were concluded. There is no doubt that Mr. Ali Ashraf Mojtahed Shabestri, the first innovative Iranian ambassador to Tajikistan, has played a key role in establishing and improving the successful political and cultural ties between these two countries. His valuable services were analyzed by 50 known Tajik scholars, writers and poets which the result was organized as a book, Safir Kabir.
Tajikistan's civil war started one year after its independence did not undermine the cultural ties between Iran and Tajikistan. I. R. Iran spared no efforts to cease the destructing war. Close cultural relations ties during the several years of civil war indicate very well how these two countries struggled to get nearer. Holding the 1000th anniversary of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, 670th anniversary of Mir Seyed Ali Hamedani, 675th anniversary of Kamal Khujandi, commemorating 1100th anniversary of Samanids State in Dushanbe, Khujand, Kulob, Tehran, Mashhad and Tabriz with international importance were among initiatives made by authorities of two countries. Interestingly, a number of opposition representatives of Tajikistan and its government envoys attended the festivals, while they were in fight in their own territory. It shows that Iran has played a key role in constructing the infrastructure of peace in Tajikistan. When tyranny regime's chains were torn and war was replaced with stable peace, Iran-Tajikistan ties entered a new stage of economic and cultural relations including holding book fairs, artistic envoys travels, holding common festivals for Nowruz and other traditional festivals. It can be claimed that never such enriched and high-class cultural relations between Iran and other states of Central Asia has been experienced. It is book which can link hearts together since many years ago. For this reason, after declaration of independence in former USSR new states Iran used to dispatch its book caravans. Most great cities of Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia used to hold Iranian book fairs within 1990 -94 and in response most cultural and scientific groups of new republics of the former USSR participated every year in Tehran Book fair. Satum Aluqzadeh's Ferdowsi won the 14th award for book of the year of I. R. Iran in 1996.
Ali Asghar Sherust's Tajik Modern Poems Outlook won the prize for book of the year in Tajikistan in 1998.
