DUSHANBE, July 12, 2008, Asia-Plus — Relations between France and Tajikistan are being built on the basis of a long political dialogue, the French Ambassador to Tajikistan, Mr. Olivier Maitland Pelen, said in an interview with Asia-Plus on July 11.
According to him, relations between the two countries are developing year in and quality of them could be named unique.
Mr. Pelen noted that since 2001, French defense ministers had visited Tajikistan eleven times, and President Emomali Rahmon had paid visits to France three times, Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi recently returned from Paris, where he attended an international conference eon Afghanistan, and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner visited Dushanbe in April this year.
In this political dialogue, opinions of the two countries on strategic issues related to the situation in Afghanistan coincide, the French envoy said.
Reminding that his country assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union on July 1, Mr. Pelen underlined the importance of strategic partnership between the European Union and Central Asia’s states.
“The European Union intends to give a new impulse to this partnership,” the French diplomat said, adding that France is ready to support structural reforms for assertion of Tajikistan in international community.
He noted that Tajik military specialists, researchers, journalists and young specialists have taken training courses in France, and French organizations have supported activities of Tajik NGOs.
Noting that his country appreciates Tajik government’s permission for deployment of French military contingent at the Dushanbe airport, the French ambassador noted that France is allocating 40 million euros (equivalent to US$70 million) for rehabilitation of the Dushanbe airport and construction of a new building of the air terminal.
On European Union’s plans of partnership with the Central Asian countries, Mr. Olivier Maitland Pelen said that the first forum European Union — Central Asia on the security issues will be held in Paris from September 17-18 and a ministerial conference on the border strengthening issue will be held in Dushanbe from October 21-22.
