Sirajiddin Muhriddin
At a press conference, the minister stated: “We are confident that every sovereign state has the right to shape its foreign policy, taking into account its national interests. It should be noted that many neighboring countries sharing a border with Afghanistan are also establishing their relations with this country based on similar considerations.”
Muhriddin clarified that Tajikistan has resumed the operation of border markets and continues to export electricity to Afghanistan.
Moreover, he emphasized that the trade volume between Tajikistan and Afghanistan is increasing, and last year it exceeded 110 million dollars.
The minister expressed support for international efforts aimed at addressing socio-economic issues in the region and called on the global community not to leave Afghanistan in a humanitarian crisis.
“We remain steadfast in our position regarding Afghanistan. We aspire to see this country safe, stable, peaceful, and prosperous,” he added.
In response to the devastating earthquake that occurred in Afghanistan, Dushanbe sent more than 6,000 tons of humanitarian aid in 2024–2025.
Discussing the recent increase in armed incidents at the border, the minister noted that the law enforcement agencies of Tajikistan and Afghanistan are working together to prevent such cases.
According to Muhriddin, the Afghan side assured that it would take measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and conduct a full investigation.
“Security on the Tajik-Afghan border remains an important topic. In this regard, working contacts have been established between the relevant structures of both countries,” he emphasized.
The minister also condemned the activities of terrorist and criminal groups operating in the border area.
Recently, the border troops of the State National Security Committee of Tajikistan prevented an attempt by a group of five Afghan smugglers to illegally cross the border. During the incident, three of them were killed, while two managed to escape into Afghanistan.
Earlier, on November 26 and 30, 2025, as a result of two attacks from the Afghan side on Tajik border areas, five Chinese citizens were killed, and another five were injured.
Tajikistan condemned these attacks and demanded that the "Taliban" detain those responsible, to which the Taliban Foreign Ministry responded that the attacks were carried out by groups seeking to destabilize the situation in the region.
According to Zafar Samad, the director of the Drug Control Agency of Tajikistan, last year there were 17 armed clashes at the border between Tajik forces and Afghan smugglers, which is more than in 2024, when 6 incidents were recorded. As a result of these clashes, 10 Afghan citizens and 2 Tajik border guards were killed.
Also, last year, Tajik authorities detained 9 Afghan citizens for attempting to smuggle drugs into the country.
In 2025, Tajik border guards seized 2 tons and 742 kilograms of drugs, which is significantly more compared to 1 ton and 824 kilograms in 2024. The majority of the seized drugs were found on the border with the Khatlon region — 2 tons and 566 kilograms, while 186 kilograms were seized on the border with the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region.
