Speaking at the VIII Interparliamentary Forum «Russia-Tajikistan: Potential for Interregional Cooperation», Chairperson of the Federation Council of Russia Valentina Matvienko highlighted the importance of supporting the Russian language in Tajikistan as a means of interethnic communication. She emphasised that the Russian language plays a significant role in strengthening friendship between the two states, the press office of the Federation Council of Russia reported.
Matvienko noted that Russia and Tajikistan have built a common cultural space while preserving national traditions. According to her, it is very important for cultural institutions and workers to have the opportunity to expand interaction. In this regard, she proposed considering improving the legal framework in this field.
The Chairperson of the Federation Council expressed gratitude to the leadership of Tajikistan for their ongoing support for Russian language teaching. She noted that the Constitution of Tajikistan designates the Russian language as the language of interethnic communication.
Matvienko said it is the upper houses of Parliament of the two countries that have played a crucial role in fostering cooperation in education. As part of this cooperation, a number of humanitarian projects were launched, including sending Russian teachers to Tajikistan. She noted that many Russian teachers want to stay for another year because of the respectful atmosphere in the Republic.
Matvienko added that the day before, the Federation Council of Russia approved the ratification of the agreement on the International Training Centre for Gifted Children in Dushanbe, construction for which will start next year.