Page 45 - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine November 2024

bne November 2024 Eastern Europe I 45
“Collaboration with Iran is a high priority for us”
was quoted as saying on the Kremlin’s Telegram channel.
Both leaders noted the alignment of their international perspectives. Putin stated, "We cooperate jointly at the international level, and our global assessments and approaches are identical."
Putin also reportedly invited Pezeshkian to Russia, to pay an official visit to the country, according to Russian news agency Tass.
Pezeshkian thanked Putin and accepted the invitation.
"I hope we can finalise this treaty during my attendance at the BRICS summit in Russia," Pezeshkian said to Putin.
Addressing regional concerns, Pezeshkian criticised Israel's actions in the region, saying, "The Zionist regime does not adhere to any international legal or humanitarian framework, and the situation in the region is critical."
Putin reciprocated the positive senti-
ment, highlighting the importance of bilateral cooperation. "Collaboration with Iran is a high priority for us," the Russian leader said. "The development of relations and increase in trade vol- ume between the two sides is progress- ing very well."
“We are actively working together in the international arena, and our assess- ments of events happening in the world are often very close,” the Russian leader
Nine in 10 terrorist Tajiks recruited after
migration period in Russia, study shows
bne IntelliNews
Research has shown that more than 85% of Tajik citizens who joined terrorist organisations did so after spending a period of migration in Russia.
The study was conducted by two pro- fessors at Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry Academy. It was posted on Facebook, but then deleted.
This year, dozens of Tajik nationals have been linked to terrorist attacks and deadly plots in countries including Russia, Iran, the United States and Germany. Tajikistan sprung to world attention as a rewarding recruiting ground for Islamist extremists intent on terrorism in March, when more than 140 people were killed in a gun attack on Crocus City Hall concert venue in outer Moscow. The atrocity was allegedly carried out by four Tajik migrants, who are cur- rently in detention in Russia awaiting trial.
The professors’ analysis also assesses that 90% of young Tajiks who were radicalised were living in Russia when they came under the influence of extremist imams and online groups. Many were religiously devout prior to migrating from Tajikistan.
The researchers conclude that Tajik diaspora groups should be advised to make more concentrated efforts at fighting religious extremism. They do not, however, address concerns that it is sheer repression of devout Muslims and other unfavoured groups by Tajikistan’s Rahmon regime that drives many citizens to leave Tajikistan in the first place and become vulnerable to those promising rewarding lives through radicalisation.
Separately, around 1,800 state workers
in the southern Tajik region of Khatlon, bordering Afghanistan – a base for multiple jihadist groups – have been assigned to go door-to-door to warn people about joining religious extremist groups.
RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported that during informal talks, as part of a wider campaign known simply as Door-To- Door, officials urge people to remain vigilant against online groups that set out to recruit young men for terrorist organisations under the guise of Islam, according to Khatlon residents.
"The information that we get from law enforcement agencies is alarming. The number of young people who joined
religious extremist groups is very high in our province," Khatlon Governor Davlatali Saeed told reporters in August, though he did not give estimates.
The Door-To-Door teams are said to have visited more than 620,000 households across the province so far to speak to young people and their parents.
The teams are made up of government officials, local council members, teachers and doctors. They take special courses before deployment.
A professor who spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity said: "Visiting people's homes to personally warn everyone about the online recruiters could be effective, because the parents of the Tajiks who went to Syria or attacked Crocus say they didn't know their sons were being brainwashed by IS [Islamic State, or ISIS].
"But the lectures alone are not enough. Young people need to have jobs with decent wages and other economic opportunities that gives them hope
for a good future. Hopelessness can be dangerous."
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