Turkey’s economic and commercial relations with Tajikistan developed at a slower pace compared to other Central Asian countries due to the civil war in Tajikistan between 1992-1997. Yet, the post-civil war period witnessed a steady expansion of economic ties.

According to data revealed by Tajikistan,Turkey is the 4thlargest trading partner of Tajikistan after Russia, Kazakhstan and China with an annual bilateral trade volume of over 400 million USD in 2018. Turkey stands as the second major destination for Tajikistan’s exports, aluminium and cotton being the primary export commodities. Turkey, on the other hand, exports mainly foodstuff, textiles, automotive, plastics and chemical products to Tajikistan.

Turkey has been the 5thlargest investor in Tajikistan for the last 5 years, while in terms of investments in 2018 alone it ranked 2ndafter China. The volume of Turkish investments in Tajikistan in the last decade has exceeded 200 million USD. Turkish investments are concentrated mainly in construction business, textiles, carpet and furniture production, foodstuff, cosmetics and automotive.

Turkish construction companies which have a strong track record in the whole region have successfully undertaken around 50 projects in Tajikistan. In this respect, projects financed by foreign financial institutions at international standards have been of particular interest. The total value of the projects undertaken so far by Turkish companies in Tajikistan exceeds 600 million USD.

The main bilateral mechanism in the economic sphere is the Turkey-Tajikistan Joint Economic Commission. Established within the framework of Commercial and Economic Cooperation Agreement signed between the two countries in 1993, the 10thMeeting of Turkey-Tajikistan Joint Economic Commission was held in Dushanbe on 15-17 February 2017. Other mechanisms include the “Joint Commission on Road Transportation” and DEİK (Foreign Economic Relations Board) Business Council.

A major transportation route between Turkey and Tajikistan is the Turkey-Iran-Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan land route. A less-preferred alternative route is Georgia-Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan/Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan railroad. For both routes transportation costs are high due to long distances.

Air transport between Turkey and Tajikistan is conducted on the basis of Air Transport Agreement dated 1995. Turkish Airlines and Somon Air each have three scheduled flights per week between Istanbul and Dushanbe. A Memorandum of Understanding that envisages reciprocal increase in flight frequency was signed in 2018, but hasn’t been brought into effect yet.

Financial support and grants provided by Turkey to Tajikistan so far, including Turkish Eximbank credits, official development assistance of TİKA and grants through other Turkish institutions have reached 93 million USD. The development assistance provided by TIKA alone in the period 1995-2018 exceeds 21 million USD.

Last updated: January 2019