BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 5. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon is scheduled to pay an official visit to Kazakhstan on November 5-7 at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The leaders are expected to discuss ways to further strengthen the strategic partnership and allied relations between the two countries. The visit coincides with the summit of the international Aqaba Process initiative, scheduled to take place in Astana on November 6 with the participation of several heads of state. King Abdullah II of Jordan is also due to visit Kazakhstan on November 5-6.
The Kazakh side has not yet disclosed a detailed agenda or a list of documents that may be signed during the visit. Emomali Rahmon will remain in Kazakhstan until November 7, allowing bilateral contacts to continue after the summit concludes.
Kazakhstan and Tajikistan established diplomatic relations in January 1993 and signed an agreement establishing the basis for bilateral relations that same month. In 2015, the two countries concluded a strategic partnership treaty. Subsequently, in May 2023, during Rahmon’s state visit to Astana, they signed a declaration on allied cooperation. The next milestone was Tokayev’s state visit to Dushanbe in August 2024, during which the Treaty on Allied Relations was signed. Thus, the upcoming talks are taking place within an already established framework of allied relations rather than at the initial stage of building a political foundation.
Regular political dialogue is also maintained at the highest level. In April 2026, during a meeting in Astana, Tokayev and Rahmon discussed, among other issues, military and military-technical cooperation, as well as efforts to counter regional and global threats. During a phone conversation with Rahmon in October 2026, Tokayev highlighted Rahmon’s role in establishing sovereign Tajikistan, maintaining peace, and strengthening bilateral relations.
Economic ties remain one of the key areas. According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, bilateral trade reached $1.2 billion by the end of 2025. The two presidents have set a goal of raising it to $2 billion in the coming years. In February 2026, Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev confirmed during a visit to Dushanbe that both sides were ready to work toward this target. Particular attention was paid to expanding trade, joint investment projects, energy, transport, and security. In the same month, the two foreign ministries signed a cooperation program for 2026-2028, providing for regular political consultations and the development of interagency contacts.
The structure of trade shows how the two economies complement each other. Kazakhstan supplies Tajikistan with wheat, natural gas, flour, barley, pasta, and aluminum products. In the opposite direction go copper, zinc, and lead ores and concentrates, dried fruit, nuts, grapes, and other agricultural products. According to Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry, more than 500 legal entities and branches with Tajik participation are registered in Kazakhstan, and over 90 joint Kazakh-Tajik enterprises operate there. This indicates that relations go beyond mutual deliveries and include business presence in both markets.
Reaching the $2 billion goal will require expanding not only trade but also investment cooperation. In August 2025, Kazakhstan expressed readiness to increase supplies of agricultural products, food products, and machinery to the Tajik market by $200 million. The sides also discussed the practical implementation of agreements in water and energy, transport and transit, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation.
Transport and logistics are of particular importance given Tajikistan’s geographic position and its need for reliable transit routes. Direct flights operate between Almaty and Dushanbe and between Astana and Dushanbe. The sides may consider expanding transport links and improving logistics conditions for trade, but no specific new projects have yet been named in the published information about the visit.
Water and energy cooperation requires constant coordination, since the use of water resources and the development of power systems affect the interests of several countries in the region. This topic was among the priorities at the February talks between the foreign ministers.
Regional and international security occupies a separate place. Kazakhstan and Tajikistan cooperate within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and other forums. The upcoming meeting may offer an opportunity for further coordination of positions, although the specific topics of the November 5-7 talks have not been disclosed.
The coincidence of Rahmon’s visit with the Aqaba Process summit gives the trip an additional international dimension. The initiative was launched by the King of Jordan in 2015 to strengthen international cooperation in countering terrorism and violent extremism. It provides for informal high-level dialogue involving heads of state, military and security officials, security experts, and international organizations. Its areas of work include the exchange of intelligence and experience, as well as coordinating responses to new threats, including those related to drones and other modern technologies.
Overall, the visit will be another step in implementing the already established strategic partnership and alliance. The most concrete topics are raising trade to $2 billion, investment ties, industrial cooperation, transport, energy, and regional security. The results of the trip will depend on the content of the talks and on subsequent decisions by the governments and relevant agencies. The relationship may develop through faster trade growth and fulfillment of earlier agreements, through larger joint investment and production projects, and through deeper cooperation in transport and energy.
