Tajikistan

By virtue of geography, Dushanbe is a critical actor in the international community’s ongoing engagement with Afghanistan.

Both countries have been willing to take some Afghan refugees in, but only temporarily. 

Presidential meetings in Central Asia are often dismissed for a lack of concrete results and for their exclusively ceremonial character. But there are good reasons to take the latest meeting seriously.

The Central Asian republics can learn from the experience of Southeast Asia and use the crisis in Afghanistan to spur forward regional cooperation at a time of great power competition. 

Following summits in 2018 and 2019, the 2021 meeting comes amid a great number of regional difficulties and concerns.

Tajikistan’s leaders declared the country COVID-free back in January, but the recent death of the president’s sister, reportedly from COVID-19, exposes the reality: The pandemic isn’t over.

Moscow is also reported to be open to some kind of cooperation with the U.S., though far short of American bases in Central Asia.

As the U.S. looks to station over-the-horizon capabilities to address issues in Afghanistan, Central Asia is an obvious locale.

With Afghan forces fleeing into Tajikistan and the Taliban managing a border crossing, Dushanbe has reportedly called on its CSTO partners for aid.

A return to the pre-April status quo is preferable to continued violence, but a lack of progress on border negotiations isn’t a long-term solution to instability on the border.

For Central Asia, a green, resilient, and inclusive recovery opens great opportunities for prosperity.