EU Statement in Response to the Report of the Deputy Head and Officer in Charge of the OSCE Office in Dushanbe, Tatiana Turcan, OSCE Permanent Council No. 1577 - Vienna, 17 September 2026

The European Union warmly thanks the Deputy Head and Officer in Charge of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, Ms. Tatiana Turcan, for the comprehensive report. We welcome the Office’s continued contribution across all three dimensions of security and value its close co-operation with the EU Delegation.

The recent visits of Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu and the Representative on Freedom of the Media, Jan Braathu, underscore the long-standing co-operation between Tajikistan and the OSCE.

At the July High-Level Political and Security Dialogue between the European Union and the five countries of Central Asia, the EU reaffirmed its commitment to deepening its strategic partnership with the region. The EU continues to support regional stability, border management, and confidence-building in Central Asia. We welcome the implementation of the March 2025 Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border agreement, which has facilitated cross-border movement and trade and contributed to greater stability in the Fergana Valley. We also welcome the Office’s efforts, including through the Border Management Staff College, to strengthen regional exchanges, inter-agency co-operation, and dialogue on shared border-management challenges.

Against a challenging regional security backdrop, the EU and the OSCE continue to implement Phase III of the FPI-funded project “Stabilization of Tajikistan’s Southern Border Region with Afghanistan”. We welcome the project’s concrete contribution to strengthening the capacities of the Tajik Border Troops. We also welcome the Office’s important work on demining and SALW, as well as its efforts to counter terrorism and to prevent and counter violent extremism and radicalisation that lead to terrorism.

On democratic governance and the rule of law, we welcome the Office’s support for key reform processes. We note the adoption of the 2026–2030 Action Plan implementing the State Anti-Corruption Strategy, support for judicial reform, and continued work on police reform.

We also welcome the Office’s contribution to disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, youth engagement in environmental action, and water co-operation. Support for at-risk communities, including women and persons with disabilities, is particularly valuable and contributes to long-term resilience and sustainable development.

We welcome the Office’s support for the prevention of domestic violence, including the development of Tajikistan’s first inter-agency instruction on domestic violence prevention and victim support, as well as its continued support for Women’s Resource Centres. We also welcome the Office’s efforts to raise awareness of the Equality Law, support review of CEDAW implementation, and assist implementation of the National Action Plan on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. We reiterate the importance of the Office's work to prevent torture and ill-treatment. We hope that this year’s high-level international conference dedicated to the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) will lead to its rapid ratification and to the engagement of all relevant stakeholders in shaping a strong pre-emptive framework.

We welcome the successful co-organization of the 2026 Summer School of Journalism by the EU Delegation and the Programme Office. We also note discussions held on journalists’ safety, access to information, digital transformation and responsible AI governance in the context of RFoM’s visit. We urge the Tajik authorities to fully implement all OSCE commitments on freedom of expression and media freedom, ensuring that dissenting voices can be freely expressed and that media practitioners and civil society are actively involved in legal and policy formulation.

 In conclusion, we wish the Deputy Head and Officer in Charge and the dedicated team in Dushanbe every success in their future activities. 

 Albania, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, San Marino and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.