On October 24, Seoul hosted the fifth meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission of Tajikistan and South Korea on trade and economic cooperation (EA Daily). The meeting was chaired by the head of the Ministry of Economic Development of Tajikistan Zavki Zavkizoda and Deputy Foreign Minister of South Korea Yun Song Dok. The Tajik side expressed its appreciation for the financing of the national economy and the inclusion of Tajikistan in the list of priority countries for investment for the next 5 years, and called on South Korea to significantly increase funding for projects in Tajikistan, to assist in implementing priority projects in the areas of industry, energy, transport, healthcare, agriculture, digital economy, labor migration and training of specialists in South Korean universities. As a result of the meeting, the parties agreed to sign four future bilateral agreements between the relevant agencies of the two countries and agreed to increase trade and investment.
On October 25, the Korean city of Busan hosted the 15th meeting of the Central Asia - Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum, which was attended by a delegation from Tajikistan headed by Foreign Minister Sirodjiddin Mukhriddin (Asia Plus). During the meeting, the parties discussed the expansion of cooperation in various fields with the strengthening of the legal framework. The importance of further strengthening of trade and economic, investment, scientific and technical ties, expansion of inter-parliamentary ties, cooperation in industry and energy, culture and tourism, and labor migration was also emphasized. In recent years, relations between the two republics have been improving in all spheres. According to the statistical agency of the Republic of Tajikistan, the total volume of trade between the two sides in the first nine months of this year amounted to $35.2 million, an increase of 6.1% over the same period last year.
On October 26, Hairiddin Usmonzoda, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Tajikistan, met with Ji Shumin, Chinese Ambassador to Tajikistan (Avesta). During the meeting, the sides discussed perspectives related to security issues in Central Asia and other issues on the regional and international agenda. The interlocutors agreed on the need for a joint scientific symposium at a high level with the participation of scientists and experts from the two countries to expand political, economic and cultural relations. Khairiddin Usmonzoda underlined that China is one of the main strategic partners of Tajikistan, and the volume of trade turnover between the countries in the first seven months of this year amounted to $766.1 million, which is more by $313.9 million or 64.4% compared to the same period of 2021.
On October 28, Emomali Rahmon took part in an extraordinary session of the CSTO Collective Security Council, held via videoconference (Sputnik). Secretary General of the Organization Stanislav Zas gave a report on the results of the CSTO mission in Armenia from September 15 to 24, 2022. Session participants stressed the importance of strengthening political and diplomatic measures to normalize the situation and improve security in the Caucasus region of collective security, including on the basis of trilateral statements of the heads of state of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. For his part, Emomali Rahmon stated that the CSTO should take effective measures to further develop the crisis response system. Following the session, the leaders instructed the Council of Foreign Ministers to continue working on a set of measures for CSTO assistance in stabilizing the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Seven bloggers and journalists have been arrested in Tajikistan in the past six months (Radio Ozodi). CPJ called on Tajikistan to provide a "full response" to the allegations of torture and ill-treatment made by blogger Abdusattor Pirmukhammadzoda. Abdusattor Pirmukhammadzoda was called for interrogation by the Department of Internal Affairs in Vahdat on 8 July, and his relatives have not seen him since then. The arrested blogger said in a letter from the detention center that he was tortured from the first days of his arrest and under pressure he confessed to things he never did. Gulnoza Said, a representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists, notes in an October 25 statement that "ill-treatment, threats, and confessions under torture are not something new for Tajikistan's law enforcement agencies." International human rights organizations, including the OSCE, have condemned the detention of journalists and called on the Tajik authorities to comply with their international obligations in the field of freedom of speech and to stop harassing, threatening, and pressuring journalists. Dushanbe has not reacted to these appeals.