On September 6, 2021, Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad, ECFA Director, participated in the ceremony held by the Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Cairo, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Tajikistan. Ambassador Saad was invited to deliver a speech on this occasion (as a former non-resident ambassador to it and in appreciation of his efforts to develop its relations with Egypt), in which he, on behalf of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, offered his best wishes for prosperity and progress to the Tajik leadership and people, noting that the Tajiks are people of great strength, as described by the traveller Ibn Battuta, and that their country has witnessed times in which people of different faiths and cultures lived, which imprinted on its inhabitants with the characters of tolerance and respect for the other. He added that he had been nominated as Egypt’s ambassador to Tajikistan in 2006, and was a witness to the launch of relations between the two countries towards broader horizons, which entailed the opening of an embassy for Tajikistan in Cairo, as a result of the diversity in the areas of joint cooperation, including political cooperation and cultural interaction.
Ambassador Saad also referred to Egypt’s interest in the issues of this proud Asian country, as the Council hosted two conferences in 2018 and 2019, in cooperation with Egypt Media Forum, the Egyptian Maritime Saloon, and the Dialogue Center for Political and Media Studies, on “Egypt and Tajikistan in Confrontation of Terrorist Organizations,” which highlighted the Muslim Brotherhood and the Tajik Renaissance Party, and the historical relationship between them, emphasizing that confronting terrorism is a continuous process that requires continued effort, work, and permanence of confrontation and combat strategies.
Ambassador Saad also noted the new Afghan element which is increasingly imposing itself in Tajik policies, which is represented in the Taliban movement’s rise to power in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US forces in August 2021, with its consequent major threats to the neighboring country of Tajikistan, which must be dealt with firmly and decisively, while strengthening cooperation at both the regional and international levels.
