Iran Played Major Role in Achievement of Tajik Peace Accord, Politician Says

Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency on the occasion of the 21^st anniversary of the signing of the Tajik Peace Accord, Muhiddin Tilloevich Kabiri said, “One of the most important achievements of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the international arena was the peace in Tajikistan.”

It is important especially because, unfortunately, Iran is accused unfairly of creating tensions and crises in the Middle East and other regions, he added.

The politician, nonetheless, criticized Iran’s performance after the peace deal and said Tehran should not have easily ignored this important international and diplomatic achievement.

Unfortunately, the Iranian administrations after the late Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s did not pay much attention to this, he said, adding that President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikstan also understood this.

“I think that very soon this case was closed by the guarantor countries (including Iran) and now, if any effort is going to be made, it would be belated and its result would be uncertain,” he added.

The peace treaty was signed on June 27, 1997, between Rahmon and Said Abdullo Nuri, the leader of the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) in Moscow after a series of peace talks brokered by the United Nations.

The deal included a political settlement that would give 30 percent of government positions to UTO representatives.

Tajikistan has since banned the Islamic Renaissance Party that was officially registered during the peace process. In 2015, Tajikistan’s Supreme Court declared the party to be a “terrorist” organization and jailed several high-ranking party officials on terrorism-related charges.

Rahmon, who has been ruling the Central Asian nation since 1992, is widely criticized for suppressing dissent and for widespread corruption in government agencies.