Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — In 2025, the chairmanship in the bodies of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will pass to Tajikistan, replacing Russia in this role.

As co-chairs of the CIS, the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan will participate, with Turkmenistan preparing for its future chairmanship, according to the CIS Executive Committee press service.

At the October meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of States in Moscow, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon outlined the key priorities for his country’s chairmanship, one of which will be the discussion of measures to improve the functioning of the Commonwealth. The president also stated that Dushanbe would focus on strengthening cooperation among CIS member states in the areas of security and countering threats.

Special attention, according to Rahmon, will be given to organizing events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Other key areas of Tajikistan’s chairmanship include the development of economic, environmental, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation, as well as deepening parliamentary collaboration.

Details of Tajikistan’s chairmanship program were presented by the country’s Prime Minister, Kohir Rasulzoda, at the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Governments in December. He emphasized that Dushanbe plans to accelerate the work on agreements related to labor migration. These include the concept of gradually forming a common labor market, regulating labor migration, and mutual recognition of migrant workers’ documents.

The Prime Minister stressed that the development of mutual trade remains a priority for Tajikistan. The country aims to eliminate existing restrictions and achieve the signing of a cooperation agreement in heavy machinery manufacturing.

To enhance the CIS’s authority on the international stage, Tajikistan will hold the first-ever joint event with the participation of the UN during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in September. Additionally, Tajikistan, which actively promotes climate change issues, will propose adopting a statement by CIS heads of state on the need to protect glaciers from the destructive effects of climate change.

Ahmad Saidmurodzoda, Head of the CIS Countries Department at Tajikistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported that 113 events are planned during 2025 as part of Tajikistan’s chairmanship. He emphasized the importance of the experience accumulated by Russia during its chairmanship and noted that Dushanbe would take into account the developments presented by Moscow.

Saidmurodzoda also shared details of discussions on migration and labor regulation within the CIS space. According to him, despite disagreements on some points, Tajikistan intends to intensify negotiations to reach agreed solutions.

In response to a question about the development of the free trade area, he noted that existing trade restrictions are caused by several factors, including the need to protect national markets and the specifics of the functioning of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Nevertheless, the CIS Economic Council continues to actively work in this direction.

Otabek Sharopov, Associate Professor at the Department of Foreign Regional Studies and Foreign Policy of the Russian-Tajik (Slavic) University and a candidate of political sciences, emphasized the significance of the CIS for Tajikistan’s foreign policy. According to him, the CIS countries and the organization itself have always played a key role in Dushanbe’s foreign policy strategy, alongside other regional organizations in the post-Soviet space.