Tajikistan

Political relations

France and Tajikistan established diplomatic relations in March 1992, after the country declared independence. France’s diplomatic office in Tajikistan became a fully fledged Embassy in October 2001, following President Rahmon’s official visit to Paris in December 2002. It was converted into a diplomatic presence post in 2016. Tajikistan opened an Embassy in Paris in September 2013.

The agreement of 8 December 2001 enabled the deployment at Dushanbe airport of a French air detachment to support our operations in Afghanistan. This detachment, the Détair, officially left Dushanbe in late October 2014. As a sign of appreciation for Tajikistan’s support, France sponsored the construction of a control tower at Dushanbe airport.

Political dialogue between France and Tajikistan was strengthened in 2024 on issues relating to the conservation of the cryosphere, with the adoption, in August, of a resolution jointly backed by the two countries that declared the period from 2025 to 2034 the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences. Tajikistan moreover joined the Paris Call for Glaciers and Poles launched during the One Planet - Polar Summit in November 2023.

Bilateral cooperation currently focuses on political, educational, economic and cultural aspects. In the latter field, a highlight was the holding of the “Tajikistan: In the Land of Rivers of Gold” exhibition dedicated to the country’s archaeological heritage at the Musée Guimet in 2021. This exhibition, instigated by France, was the first of its kind to be organized abroad.

Since 2016, political dialogue between France and Tajikistan has been structured around annual bilateral political consultations between their Foreign Ministries, with the sixth edition held in Paris in December 2024.

Economic relations

France’s exports to Tajikistan remain limited, amounting to €13.6 million in 2024 according to the French customs authorities. These exports primarily concern automotive consumer goods (25% of total exports), essential oils (8.8%) and pharmaceuticals (6.6%).

Our imports from Tajikistan have increased, however, reaching €62 million in 2023 and €104 million in 2024, and almost exclusively consist of non-ferrous metals (mainly antimony).

French companies have a small presence in the country. The Schiever Group, the main investor up until now, operating the only Auchan in Central Asia and a network of bi1 convenience stores, changed banners (following the end of its partnership with Auchan) and is phasing out its operations in the country, selling a majority stake to a Georgian retailer in 2025.

Several companies are exploring opportunities on the Tajik market: Airbus and ATR for supplying aircraft; EDF for a hydroelectric power station project on the Zarafshan river on the border with Uzbekistan (with 100% of the electricity to be bought by Uzbekistan), Thales for person identification and border control systems, and Carpi for solutions for hydroelectric dam projects.