Five-Year Review: Non-signatory Tajikistan has expressed interest in acceding to the convention and says it is in de facto compliance with the convention as it has never used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions. It has participated as an observer in all of the convention’s Meeting of States Parties and engages with the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC), including its members in Tajikistan.

Officials state that Tajikistan has never used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions. Tajikistan is contaminated by cluster munitions used during its civil war in the 1990s.

Policy

The Republic of Tajikistan has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Tajikistan has been considering its accession to the convention since 2008, but has it has not taken any steps towards accession except for consultations.[1] In September 2014, Tajikistan informed States Parties that “the issue of joining to the convention is still under the consideration of the Tajikistan government.” It also affirmed that Tajikistan “is fulfilling all obligations under the convention today” and said it is considering submitting a voluntary transparency report for the convention.[2]

Tajikistan participated in the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions and endorsed both the Oslo Declaration (committing to the conclusion of an international instrument banning cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians) and the Wellington Declaration (committing to negotiate a convention banning cluster munitions based on the Wellington draft text). However, Tajikistan did not participate in the formal negotiations of the convention in Dublin in May 2008, even as an observer, and did not attend the Convention on Cluster Munitions Signing Conference in Oslo in December 2008.[3]

Tajikistan engages in the Convention on Cluster Munitions despite not joining. It has participated as an observer in every Meeting of States Parties of the convention, including the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in San Jose, Costa Rica in September 2014. Tajikistan also attended the convention’s intersessional meetings in Geneva in 2011, 2012, and June 2015.

At the Fifth Meeting of States Parties in September 2014, Tajikistan stated that it never used or produced cluster munitions and has no stocks. It highlighted its cooperation with Tajikistan members of the CMC and the diplomatic corps in marking the annual anniversary of the convention’s entry into force.[4]

Tajikistan is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. Tajikistan is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Production, transfer, use, and stockpiling

Tajikistan has stated several times that it does not use, produce, transfer, or stockpile cluster munitions.[5]

Cluster munitions were used in Tajikistan during its civil war in the 1990s. ShOAB-0.5 and AO-2.5RT submunitions have been found in the town of Gharm in the Rasht Valley.[6]

The forces responsible for this cluster munition use have never been confirmed. In May 2011, the Ministry of Defense said that Tajik forces had never used cluster munitions.[7] A representative of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Interior said that Uzbek forces used cluster munitions in Rasht Valley and Ramit Valley in the 1990s and said Tajik forces had no capacity to use cluster munitions.[8]

In 2011, the Ministry of Defense informed the CMC that a review of weapons stocks had not found any cluster munitions and an official letter confirming no stockpile of cluster munitions had been sent to the Office of the President.[9]