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Translated Sun Oct 16 a speech to Russia's Vladimir Putin, in person, televised Emomali Rahmon

President of Tajikistan

Translated Speech:

"Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, I think this is not your initiative to get together for the sake of a tick (“checkmark” the box). We must say openly what we want. Show the whole world that Russia + Central Asia. What, do we have a problem? And indeed, it turns out, there is. These fives (bloc-countries)are already [fed up]! Some conversations, receiving information, pumping out information, showing off - no effect. America + Central Asia, South Korea + Central Asia, Japan + Central Asia. Soon, probably, Pakistan is also with Central Asia, India with Central Asia [will gather]. Who else is left?

What are we missing? Something is missing. Something doesn't work. As this was the main reason for the collapse of the Soviet Union. I think you're not offended. We witnessed with you how [Soviet Union] collapsed. I was present in this congress hall. Then, I'm sorry, as now, there was no attention to small republics, small peoples. Traditions, customs, everything else were not taken into account. They did not support development.

Where are people going now? You said yesterday that two million [citizens of Tajikistan live and work in the Russian Federation]. I wanted to tell you, it's not two million, it's more than two million of our citizens who fly to Russia not only to earn money. No more than 600 thousand people to earn money. They fly to other countries through you. Next year [flow] will decrease by 50% because the road is closed, they can't take off. And then [more] they are trained, treated.

Traditionally, [Russia] attracts [the inhabitants of Tajikistan]. They lived in the same country, where are they going? Not to Iran, not to Pakistan, not to Saudi Arabia. No one is waiting for us there. They're going to Russia. 30 years old, I'm a witness. Where do we hold business forums? My colleagues are not offended. In Astana, Tashkent, as it was under the former Soviet Union. In Kiev, Minsk, Almaty, Tashkent. The rest of the republics as they were: "Give me milk, give me cotton, let's do it."

There was no infrastructure. Tajikistan was divided into three parts, for six months the north [was cut off], there was no road. Now why are we begging [to come] to some unfortunate forum in Tajikistan? I instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs: go out to be present at least at the level of a minister [someone from Russia]. We're waiting, I even talked to you. No, at the deputy minister's level. Tajikistan deserves it. Strategic partner.

Why? Are we not doing that? We have two and a half million schoolchildren in Russian, there are not enough textbooks. We must learn Russian from kindergarten. There are military bases, there were and remained landfills. Thank you, I'm sorry, 30 thousand (we won't call them refugees) now displaced Russian-speaking people have returned to us.

We were made so that we are countries that... I don't know. Yes, we are small nations, we are not 100 million, not 200 million. But we have history, culture. We love, we want to be respected. You don't need anything. Respected.

We are not beggars. We have a rich country, there are more mineral resources than in Mendeleev's table. (Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev. (1834)) I'm a witness, all businessmen from Russia are only cream [want to shoot]. They are interested in Hydrocarbons, oil and gas. And why [they are not interested in] mining, non-ferrous metallurgy, precious metals and stones and even strategic raw materials for the military, which are not available in the world?

We're together, let's create conditions. Where did we break something? Where did we say hello to someone wrong? We'll say hello. But we have never violated, always respected and respected the interests of our main strategic partner [Russia]. We want to be respected as well. Are we some kind of strangers? And you don't have to invest a lot of money. Yes, we need to invest, billions. But this pays off in all spheres in a short time. After all, our migrant workers go to you, they work.

Yes, there used to be a lot of problems. Now it's less year after year. Therefore, Vladimir Vladimirovich, our request that there be no policy towards Central Asia as for the former Soviet Union. Each country has its own problems, its own questions, its own traditions, customs. We need to find the middle ground. It is necessary to work with each of the republics separately." (END) the speech of the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Sharipovich Rahmonov, Tajik reads.