Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has ordered the foreign ministry of his country to study the issue of extending a period of stay of nationals of Tajikistan in Uzbekistan without registration.

“Following a request by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Shavkat Mirziyoyev has ordered the Uzbek foreign ministry to country to study the issue of extending a period of stay of nationals of Tajikistan in Uzbekistan without registration from three to seven days,” Vladimir Norov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan, told Asia-Plus. 

Recall, Tajikistan’s lower house (Majlisi Namoayndagon) of parliament on March 19 ratified a government-to-government agreement between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on visa-free travel that was singed in Dushanbe on March 9.

The agreement enables nationals of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to visit each others’ countries for up to 30 days without obtaining a visa.      

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan’s parliament has not yet ratified this agreement. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree on approval of the mentioned agreement on March 14.  The Uzbek foreign ministry was ordered to send an appropriate notification about the fulfillment of all intrastate formalities necessary for entry into force of the mentioned agreement.

The provisions of this decree are reportedly applied to nationals of Tajikistan entering, temporarily staying in or transiting through Uzbekistan from March 16, 2018 until the mentioned agreement enters into force.

Tashkent introduced visas for Tajik citizens intending to visit Uzbekistan on May 16, 2000 in 2000, creating major complications for ethnic Tajiks living on the Uzbek side and ethnic Uzbeks on the Tajik side, many of whom have relatives or other connections in the other country.