It is a coincidence, albeit a telling one, that on 25 February, just after Russia attacked Ukraine, an important visit was taking place in Dushanbe.
Valentina Matviyenko, the chair of the Federation Council of Russia’s Federal Assembly, had come to Tajikistan’s capital for an inter-parliamentary forum and to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
In preparation for Matviyenko’s visit, several bilingual Russian-Tajik banners had appeared in the city centre. “The Republic of Tajikistan and the Russian Federation are united by traditional, friendly relations of strategic partnership, built on the principles of friendly respect and deep trust,” one of them stated.
