Effective April 20, Tajikistan will require that Turkish passport holders obtain visas to enter the country, in response to Turkey imposing a visa requirement for Tajiks seeking to visit Turkey, the state-run Khovar news agency reported, citing the Tajik Foreign Ministry.
The decision was made based on the principle of reciprocity, the ministry said.
“Citizens of Türkiye can obtain visas at Tajik embassies and consulates abroad,” the ministry added.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s decision to lift the visa exemption for holders of ordinary passports from Tajikistan traveling to Turkey was published in the Official Gazette on April 6.
Turkey’s move came after two Tajik suspects in a deadly terrorist attack on a concert hall in Moscow last month were revealed to have travelled through İstanbul to Russia.
Tajik nationals Rachabalizoda Saidakrami and Shamsidin Fariduni spent time in Turkey shortly before the attack and entered Russia on the same flight from İstanbul, a Turkish security official told Agence France-Presse last month.
Turkey allows visa-free entrance to passport holders from 35 countries, including Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.
