The United States is proud to celebrate 246 years of independence as a free and democratic nation.  Independence and sovereignty are rarely given freely and must be protected and defended.  Since declaring independence in 1776, the United States has faced significant challenges over 246 years – a bloody civil war, attacks by foreign powers, internal …

After studying Russian at university during the Cold War, John Mark Pommersheim grabbed the chance to go to Moscow as an exchange student when Mikhail Gorbachev was in charge of the Soviet Union.

In honor of Human Rights Day, I want to congratulate the winners of the human rights awards given out by the NGO Bureau of Human Rights with support of the U.S. Embassy: the NGO Tashabusi Huquqi, Asia-Plus journalist Abdulloh Ghurbati, and journalist Mahpora Kiromova. These awardees were selected for calling attention to the struggles of …

On behalf of the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan, I congratulate all Tajik citizens as you celebrate 29 years of independence!    Over these nearly three decades, the partnership between our governments and peoples has grown stronger.  We are proud of our accomplishments in the fields of development, security, education, agriculture, and health, and our robust dialogue …

On September 2, 1945, Japan signed the terms of surrender to the Allied Forces, bringing an end to the deadliest war in human history – World War II.  Today, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our shared victory in this global conflict, during which, the people of the United States and Tajikistan fought as allies.  The …

Today, Americans celebrate our Independence Day. We take this opportunity to celebrate values that Americans honor and cherish such as democracy, rule of law, and freedoms of expression, religion, and the press. We honor the thousands of Americans who fought and died in the American Revolution, and the millions of people who have fought for …

We stand together with the Tajik people in celebrating the achievements of our forefathers in bringing about the defeat of Nazi Germany 75 years ago today and honoring the sacrifices of our soldiers and their families who suffered during the war.   Today, we continue to face threats that require joint efforts to combat.  We now face …

Dushanbe, Tajikistan, March 29, 2019 – (As delivered) Thank you, Fejzo, for the warm welcome.  As an OSCE member state, the United States stands behind the importance of our close cooperation and coordination.  Today’s conference is my first opportunity to gather with my colleagues in the international community as well as the Tajik government to …

I am honored to be in Tajikistan and to serve my country as the U.S. Ambassador.  I arrived just over a week ago, and I have already experienced the legendary hospitality of the Tajik people!

Religious freedom is one of America’s most cherished ideals and a central tenet of our democracy. The United States believes the protection of religious freedom by a government can create a more stable country. I would like to share some reflections on this ideal with you as we mark Religious Freedom Day on January 16. …