TAJIKISTAN INVITES MALAYSIA TO HOST CULTURAL WEEK

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 17 (Bernama) -- Tajikistan invites Malaysian cultural stakeholders to organise a cultural week in the country to introduce Malaysia to the Central Asian country. 

Ambassador of Tajikistan to Malaysia, Ardasher Qodiri, said among Malaysian cultural products that need to be introduced to Tajikistan are Malaysian batik, the dances, and the cuisine.

“Now, most Tajikistan people only know about the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia. They should know about the culture,” he told a media briefing here Monday. 

Malaysia is the only country in Southeast Asia with a Tajikistan embassy.

The ambassador, who is also accredited to Indonesia and Thailand, emphasised that cultural cooperation should precede and underpin political, economic, and other forms of engagement between the two countries.

He said that when people first get to know each other through culture, traditions, arts, daily life, and shared human values, it creates mutual understanding and trust, which later becomes a solid foundation for sustainable political dialogue, economic cooperation, and long-term partnership.

“Culture brings people closer at a human level. Once there is understanding and respect between societies, cooperation in other fields develops more naturally and effectively,” Qodiri added.

He said Malaysia is among the preferred destinations for Tajikistanis to further their studies. Some 400 students from the country study here, he said, and the number is slowly increasing. 

Meanwhile, Third Secretary of the Tajikistan Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Farhod Qiyomuddinov, in his presentation, said there are strong potentials for deeper cooperations between Tajikistan and Malaysia based on complementary strengths and shared interests in stability, development, and people-to-people ties.

Some Malaysian movies can be translated into Russian, a common language among the Central Asians, he said. 

He said green energy and sustainability also present an important agenda. Tajikistan’s hydropower potential and Malaysia’s growing green-technology capabilities open doors for collaboration in energy efficiency, smart grids, and renewable-focused projects, including knowledge exchange on climate resilience.

Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic, has a population of about 10 million people.

Kuala Lumpur and Dushanbe have established diplomatic relations since March 11, 1992. 

-- BERNAMA