On 1 July 2022, ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger welcomed Mr Farhod Salim, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan. Ongoing projects and cooperation, as well as current migration challenges, were the subject of the visit.
Both sides highly appreciated the long-lasting cooperation in the area of migration, in particular within the ongoing work of the Migrant Resource Centre in Dushanbe established based on ICMPD experience in the Silk Routes region and the work of the Border Management in Central Asia (BOMCA 10) project where ICMPD is focusing on improving living conditions and human rights in bordering regions. The work within the dialogues on migration, the Prague Process and the Budapest Process was appreciated as well. For Tajikistan, the serious situation in neighbouring Afghanistan remains of great concern. The country provides humanitarian assistance (e.g. electricity) and offers its infrastructure for humanitarian assistance to other countries and organisations. The war in Ukraine and the sanctions upon Russia impact the Tajik labour migrants (96% in Russia) and the economy of Tajikistan. Diversification of Tajik external labour migration remains thus a priority. Both sides agreed on the importance of continuous cooperation.