Talbak Nazarov

Talbak Nazarovich Nazarov (; born 15 March 1938) is a Tajik diplomat, politician, economist, and academician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan from 1994 to 2006. He previously served as rector of Tajik National University (1982–1988) and Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan (1991–1994). Nazarov is widely regarded as the patriarch of Tajik diplomacy and is recognised as one of the founders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Early life and education

Nazarov was born on 15 March 1938 in a village in the former Kangurt district (now Danghara District) of the Khatlon Region in the Tajik SSR, Soviet Union. He lost his mother at the age of three and his father when he was in the sixth grade, forcing him to become independent at a young age. Nazarov became head of the economics department and later dean of the faculty. Nazarov addressed the United Nations General Assembly at its fifty-ninth, sixtieth, and sixty-first sessions. On 19 October 2001, he addressed the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, speaking on counter-terrorism efforts following the September 11 attacks. Nazarov played a key role in strengthening bilateral relations with Japan, contributing to the opening of the Japanese embassy in Dushanbe in 2002.

Later career

From 2008 to 2013, Nazarov served as Chairman of the Republican Charitable Foundation of Tajikistan, established by President Emomali Rahmon. He has also been a member of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan He holds the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

Awards and honours

Order of Honour (1976) He is the first Tajik citizen to receive this honour.