Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cancelled the visa-free regime with Tajikistan. The decree was signed on 5 April. It was published by the official government newspaper Resmi Gazete, moscowtimes.eu reports.
The text states that the decision was made "in accordance with the law on foreigners and international protection". It applies to Tajik citizens who, since 2018, have been able to enter Turkey with their regular passport and stay there for up to 90 days.
The reasons for the restrictions are not specified. However, the decree was signed against the backdrop of raids against supporters of the Islamic State terrorist group that took place in Turkey after the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall near Moscow.
The ISIS cell "Viyalat Khorasan" had previously claimed responsibility for the attack, and the FSB named four Tajik citizens as the direct perpetrators.
It was also reported that at least two of the accused, Shamsiddin Fariduni and Saidakrami Rachabalizod, had come to Istanbul for some time before the attack and then flew to Moscow.
As a result of operational measures, Ankara detained almost 200 people, including 37-year-old Tajik citizen Faziljon A. He was accused of preparing a terrorist attack in Turkey together with 41-year-old Kyrgyz citizen Zulfiya S. According to the investigation, both had long been members of ISIS. As a result, Faziljon A. was arrested and his assistant was deported.
Tajikistan has not yet officially commented on Erdogan's decision, but two sources in the government of the republic confirmed the cancellation of the visa-free regime.
"It is true. Indeed, Turkey is introducing visas, but we do not yet know the conditions, timing and other details of this decision," said one of the sources.
Another source noted that, according to diplomatic rules, Tajikistan will also have to introduce a visa regime for Turkish citizens.
On 22 March, a group of armed men broke into the Crocus City Hall and opened fire on visitors. The terrorists then set fire to the building and fled, only to be apprehended the next day in the Bryansk region. The attack killed 145 people and injured more than 550.
Sputnik-Tajikistan's sources reported that one of the perpetrators of the attack, Shamsiddin Fariduni, was associated with Tajik extremist organisations and had been trained in Istanbul for the attack on Crocus. According to the agency's source, the militant was trained by "mentors who fought in Afghanistan and Syria in the ranks of ISIS", and it was after a trip to Turkey that he "showed signs of extremism in conversations with family and friends".
A total of 11 people were detained in connection with the Crocus attack. Most of them are citizens of Tajikistan.
Background. As a reminder, Iran warned the Russian authorities about the possibility of an ISIS terrorist attack – the country's authorities reported that members of the Wilayat Khorasan were instructed to prepare for a large-scale operation in Russia.