In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin noted on July 27 that Dushanbe has always considered “official Kabul as a legitimate government in Afghanistan ad has never conducted meetings or negotiations with representatives of the Taliban Movement. 

“The situation in Afghanistan’s districts bordering Tajikistan has seriously deteriorated lately, but Tajikistan’s common border with Afghanistan is securely guarded,” the minister said.  

He further noted that Tajikistan has not been conducting negotiations with the Russian Federation on return of Russian border guards to the Tajik-Afghan border and does not plan to increase the number of Russian military advisors in Dushanbe due to tensions along the border with Afghanistan.  

He also noted that today it is impossible to specifically talk about how many Afghans seeking refuge Tajikistan can accept.  

“I disagree with the views of some colleagues and the government of Tajikistan that Tajikistan can accept up to 100,000 refugees from Afghanistan.    We need to take into account the pandemic situation in this matter, preparedness of camps for refugees and are whether we ready for terrorists to enter our country disguised as refugees,” Muhriddin stressed.