Visa exemption for Malaysians visiting Tajikistan from Jan 1

By R.Ravichandran

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 1 -- The Government of Tajikistan has introduced a unilateral visa-exemption regime for citizens of 52 countries including Malaysia, from January 1, 2022.

Tajikistan’s Ambassador to Malaysia Ardasher Qodiri said that under this move, in accordance to a Decree of the Tajikistan Government dated 26 October 2021, the citizens of these 52 countries are allowed to enter, stay and exit Tajikistan within 30 days, while any extension of stay is to be carried out according to the legislation of Tajikistan.

The Tajikistan government's move is expected to boost the country's ties with these countries in various areas such as tourism and economic as well as people-to-people relations.

"This decree aimed to enhance cooperation between friendly countries in the field of tourism, culture as well as providing more opportunity to business community and to encourage them to explore untapped potential of Tajikistan in terms of investment,"  Qodiri told Bernama in an interview.

In another decree of the Government of Tajikistan, 14 other countries have been included to the list of states whose citizens are eligible to obtain a visa under simplified  procedure.

Tajikistan, a landlocked country with some 9.5 million people, is located in Central Asia and bordered by Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Tajikistan established diplomatic relations with Malaysia in 1992. In the past, Dushanbe and Kuala Lumpur have witnessed top level visits by their respective leaders. The republic's President, Emomali Rahmon, visited Malaysia in 2014.

Following Soviet's disintegration, Tajikistan's independence was declared in 1991. The country commemorated its 30th anniversary of independence in September this year.

-- BERNAMA