“For many countries of the world Tajikistan has shown a unique example of peaceful resolution of internal conflicts, which is not a mistake to call Tajikistan’s contribution to the history of peacemaking” (Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations).
It is a matter of pride and honor that for 35 years we have been living in the light of peace and stability, unity and sovereignty of our beloved Tajikistan. Indeed, this is a priceless blessing, because throughout the millennia of history, achieving independence, unity and solidarity has captivated the minds and minds of all humanity. However, achieving and achieving it was a very difficult and complicated task, and thousands of heroes sacrificed their lives on this path and did not achieve their goal.
It is impossible to imagine the development of any state without dialogue, without peace and stability. However, by fate’s will, for some of the former Soviet Union countries, it has occurred in completely untested directions, an example of which is unparalleled in history.
History is a witness that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, one of the first and fateful steps was to achieve state independence. With great efforts and hard work, on September 9, 1991, the Republic of Tajikistan declared its full independence, which laid a new political and legal foundation for the further development of the country. However, after this important historical event, unrest engulfed the atmosphere of our beloved country and delayed its development and progress for several years.
However, thanks to the hard work and efforts of the devoted sons of the nation, such as the Founder of Peace and National Unity – Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Honorable Emomali Rahmon, whose thoughts day and night were focused on achieving success in uniting the nation and achieving their unity and mutual understanding, we were able to escape from the clutches of this destructive phenomenon and establish unity, peace and stability in the country.
Today, we can see the fruits of all these efforts in the smiles of mothers and sisters, the peace and prosperity of the country, the unique achievements of compatriots at home and abroad, the recognition of the Republic of Tajikistan in the international arena as an initiator of solving global problems, and the like. The noble Tajik people must understand that peace in the Republic of Tajikistan is maintained only on the basis of a tolerant attitude of different, sometimes opposing forces, movements and parties. Peace in the Republic of Tajikistan became possible as a result of recognizing the diversity of living conditions in the country, that is, as a result of rejecting the authority of one or another.
Read More: Tajikistan’s Peaceful Diplomacy in Resolving International Conflicts
The most important document – the Agreement on the Establishment of Peace between the Tajiks – marked the beginning of a qualitatively new historical stage – reconstruction and prosperity based on the idea of a dear and independent Tajikistan – the beloved Motherland of all of us.
The Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, in his Address to the Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan, noted that the valuable experience of our ancestors in the struggle for freedom and independence in the 20th century – an extremely difficult period in the fate of the Tajik nation – was of extraordinary vital importance, and this issue has not yet been the subject of serious attention, consideration and research by sociologists and historians.
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the Tajik nation was under the influence of many political and social factors in an extremely sensitive and dangerous stage of its existence.
We can never imagine the Republic of Tajikistan without the name and work of the Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon. The restoration of peace in the Republic of Tajikistan can be considered a result of the efforts of the Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, which is considered an important achievement not only for the Tajiks, but also for all countries in the region and the world. Because, the security and tranquility of the Republic of Tajikistan, given its geographical position and opportunities, is considered a guarantee of peace and stability in the region and the world.
One of the strategic plans of the Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, which emerged from the XVI Session of the Supreme Council, is the construction of a democratic and law-based society. From the first days of his leadership, the Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon welcomed the formation of political parties in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution.
The Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, contrary to all domestic and foreign detractors who were not optimistic about the future of our state, courageously took over the leadership of the state. The first word that the Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon said from the high rostrum of this historic Session was peace, and our path to this stability is not smooth and even. The eternal wisdom of the Tajik nation triumphed over ignorance, and we joined hands in striving to save the nation and preserve the state.
At that time, the Republic of Tajikistan was taking its first steps on the path of independence and faced the threat of the destruction of the state and the nation, and the need for such a savior and powerful personality arose. The most difficult tasks faced by the Leader of the Nation, the Honorable Emomali Rahmon, were:
- preventing civil war
- creating the basis for peace
- returning forced refugees
- ensuring the social security of the population
- putting in order the power structures (especially the national army), expanding the foundations of national unity, resolving the issue of the communication blockade…and many other tasks, the enumeration of which is both necessary and lengthy. However, the tasks that were noted were not only urgent, not only every day, but, in the popular sense of the word, fateful.
Read More: Tajikistan’s Position at the Central Asia Plus Japan Dialogue Forum
National unity, as a unique phenomenon of the country’s independence, played a huge role in uniting the disintegrating Tajik nation and saving the new Tajik state from the abyss of annihilation. The day of the signing of the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord, namely June 27, 1997, is truly the beginning of mutual understanding and unity and the creation of conditions for the peaceful and harmonious life of our people.
National unity, as a unifying factor for all the people of Tajikistan, created conditions for the formation of a civil society in the country, using values recognized by the world, and creating a favorable basis for improving the living standards of the people, prosperity and the future of an independent state.
In fact, National Unity is the strength of the nation and the state, in which the role of the Leader of the Nation, the esteemed Emomali Rahmon, is unique.
It was the Leader of the Nation, the esteemed Emomali Rahmon, who became the architect of Unity and promised the country’s residents that he would bring peace to them as a first step. The Leader of the Nation, the esteemed Emomali Rahmon, kept his promise. It was in the first decade of the difficult statehood, under the guidance of the Leader of the Nation, that the country adopted a Flag, National Anthem, Constitution, and national currency.
Over the past three decades, which is not so long for history, the Republic of Tajikistan has been able to achieve great successes in its domestic and foreign policy. Today, our republic is recognized as a reliable country in the world. It is gratifying that its reputation and influence are increasing year by year, and new horizons are being discovered in the direction of development and progress.
At the same time, the Government of the country, headed by the Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, has always paid attention to educating the younger generation in a high spirit of patriotism, pride in patriotism and national values, and has grown up in educational institutions as true patriots so that they love this Motherland and its sacred soil and protect it as the apple of their eye.
The outstanding son of the Tajik people, the Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, took upon himself the support of this border and the nation in the most difficult period and stated that they would not spare their knowledge and strength for the people and the Motherland, for its peace and prosperity.
Read More: Pakistan, Tajikistan Target $300 Million Bilateral Trade Through PTA
It was this selflessness and courage of the Leader of the Nation, the Honorable Emomali Rahmon, that rekindled the flame of hope and dreams in the hearts of millions of Tajiks and Tajikstanis. In the Republic of Tajikistan, light was triumphing over darkness. In 1994, a new stage began with the organization of the Tajik negotiations. On this basis, conditions were gradually being created for the implementation of the final goals.
The Leader of the Nation, the Honorable Emomali Rahmon, who took the leadership of the country with the historic mission of restoring peace and tranquility, from the first days of his activity determined the path to achieving the goal in dialogue and peaceful relations with all political forces of the country. In one of his first statements, the Leader of the Nation, the Honorable Emomali Rahmon, characterized the main method of activity of the leadership of the Republic of Tajikistan as follows:
“Our political ideal is national unity. We are not going to solve any of the fundamental issues of our society by force or through armed struggle. Our goal is to be creative and that’s it.
National unity brought joy and happiness to all corners of the country. It, like a drink, gave strength and energy to tired bodies and souls, the results of which we observe with our minds every day. Grateful that today Tajikistan is not only becoming prosperous and beautiful, but also has solid steps in the development of society, which, first of all, is based on the results of this fateful document.
We know the essence of the great services of the Leader of the Nation, the Honorable Emomali Rahmon, in establishing a new statehood for Tajiks and transforming the Republic of Tajikistan into a country of peace and justice, and we admit that not every child of the family can become a hero of the country and a leader of the 21st century.
Read More: Foreign Economic Relations Between Tajikistan and Russia
At the new stage of the construction of the modern statehood of the Republic of Tajikistan, the high destiny of the ancient Tajik nation is manifested in the fact that in the image of the unique historical personality, the Leader of the Nation, the esteemed Emomali Rahmon, the highest human qualities were embodied – human justice, generosity and courage, compassion and a unique ability to create unity – and it was this harmony that brought society to a high level of self-knowledge.
It was thanks to the persistent efforts of the Leader of the Nation, the esteemed Emomali Rahmon, that the Republic of Tajikistan was able to escape from the national tragedy at the end of the twentieth century and strengthen its state independence, and the Tajik nation, after a thousand years, achieved great historical achievements on the path of reviving national statehood and today is steadily taking steps towards a bright future.
Because this history and culture, this ancient nation really needed such a leader who, at the head of the state, would lead it from the abyss of destruction to the city of hope and dreams. And today, this nation, with full pride and gratitude, and with national pride and self-awareness, calls Emomali Rahmon its Leader.
It is precisely State Independence and National Peace and Unity that have made the support of foreign countries and the position and status of the Republic of Tajikistan famous on a global scale. If State Independence expresses independence and the state’s independence from any external entity, then Unity and Unity are the emergence of a common cause, uniting to implement new ideas, and protecting the nation and state.
These two values are interdependent, and it is precisely their connection that has turned the Republic of Tajikistan into one of the safest countries in a short period of time – 35 years of state independence. By implementing more and more national and constructive ideas, the foundations of our national statehood have been strengthened to the extent that it has led to an increase in the spiritual maturity of the people and society. Because in an atmosphere of peace and unity, difficulties and obstacles are overcome, the people’s lives are improved, and our beloved paradise-like country gains an even stronger position on the road of progress and development.
The Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, emphasizes that “It is time for us to take effective action to strengthen the main role of the UN in resolving conflicts and restoring peace and stability on the planet.” Therefore, the naming of this proposal as the “Decade of Peacebuilding for Future Generations” is once again proof that all the efforts and hard work of the Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon are solely for the sake of the bright future of the younger generation.
The next initiative of the Leader of the Nation, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon not only testifies to his professional maturity as a prominent politician, prominent statesman, and high-ranking diplomat of the world level, but also significantly raises the status and rank of the Republic of Tajikistan in the system of modern international relations, presenting it as an independent, peace-loving state.
*The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Diplomatic Insight.
Rahmonzoda Azimjon Sherali
Rahmonzoda Azimjon Sherali is a historian and leading researcher at the Institute for the Study of Asian and European Countries, under the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan. Holding the academic title of Candidate of Historical Sciences, he brings deep expertise and scholarly insight into the historical and geopolitical dynamics of the region.
