On May 28, 2025, Rustam Emomali made his first official visit to Russia. He arrived in Moscow as the Chairman of the Majlisi Milli Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan (the Upper House of the Parliament of Tajikistan) and the Mayor of Dushanbe. During the visit, he held a number of important meetings, including talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as with the Chairperson of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko and the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin.

The meeting with Vladimir Putin took place in the Kremlin and was devoted to discussing a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Russia. The main topics included the development of strategic partnership and alliance, inter-parliamentary interaction, political, trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian and military-technical cooperation.

Particular attention was paid to activating the work of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation, implementing social projects in Dushanbe (the construction of the building of the Russian State Theatre named after V. Mayakovsky and the Sirius Centre for Gifted Children), as well as issues of labour migration and the protection of migrants’ rights. International and regional issues were also discussed, including the situation in Afghanistan and security in Central Asia, which demonstrates the high level of trust and partnership between the two countries.

This visit is of great importance both for Tajikistan and for its young leader. It primarily consists of strengthening the strategic partnership between Tajikistan and Russia, expanding inter-parliamentary dialogue, deepening economic, cultural and humanitarian ties, and coordinating efforts to resolve pressing international and regional issues. This underlines the importance of Russia as a key partner for Tajikistan in the political and economic spheres.

Secondly, this visit has significant political importance for strengthening the authority of the young leader of Tajikistan as the Chairman of the Majlisi Milli (the upper house of the Parliament of Tajikistan) and the Mayor of Dushanbe. This enormous significance can be characterized as follows:

• Confirmation of high status and trust: The meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko demonstrates recognition of Rustam Emomali as a key figure in Tajik politics at the international level, which increases his domestic political weight.

• Strengthening strategic partnership: During the talks, a wide range of issues of strategic and allied cooperation between Tajikistan and Russia were discussed, including trade and economic cooperation, cultural and humanitarian projects and security issues. This underlines the role of Rustam Emomali as an important mediator and leader in the development of bilateral relations.

• Support for social initiatives: Rustam Emomali expressed gratitude for Russian assistance in the implementation of social projects in Dushanbe, such as the construction of the Mayakovsky Russian Drama Theater and the Sirius Center for Gifted Children. This strengthens his image as an effective manager capable of attracting international support for the development of the capital.

• Activation of inter-parliamentary dialogue: The visit contributes to the expansion of inter-parliamentary cooperation between Tajikistan and Russia, which increases the political status of Rustam Emomali as the chairman of the upper house of parliament and strengthens his influence in the legislative sphere.

• Addressing pressing issues of labor migration: Discussion of labor migration issues reflects Rustam Emomali's attention to socio-economic challenges, which also has a positive impact on his reputation as a politician focused on the real needs of the population.

• International political dialogue: Exchange of views on regional security and the international agenda, including the situation in Afghanistan, emphasizes the importance of Rustam Emomali as a participant in the most important regional processes and a politician with a broad outlook.

Thus, the official visit and meeting with Vladimir Putin significantly strengthen the political authority of Rustam Emomali, confirming his status as an influential leader at the national and international levels, expanding opportunities for the development of strategic partnerships and the implementation of key projects in Tajikistan.

Shamsiddin Karimov,

Chief researcher of the Institute for the Study of

Problems of Asian and European Countries

of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan,

Doctor of political sciences.