DUSHANBE, May 23, Asia-Plus – President Emomali Rahmon today morning received Mr. Robert Simmons, the NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Central Asia, who arrived Tajikistan for a working visit on May 22, presidential press service said.
In the course of the talks the two discuss issues related to cooperation between Tajikistan and NATO and regional security.
According to Tajik MFA, Simmons yesterday met with Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi.
Today, the NATO envoy is also scheduled to hold talks with the State Committee for National Security Chairman Khairddin Abdurahimov and Drug Control Agency Director Rustam Nazarov. Today evening, Mr. Simmons will also meet with Tajik students in the office of the Vector-Intellect NGO in Dushanbe, the MFA source said.
We will recal that is not the frist fivist of robert Simmons to Tajikistan. In December 2005, he visited Tajikistan as the Deputy Assistant NATO Secretary General for Security Cooperation and Partnership. That time, he met with President Emomali Rahmon. The two discussed issues related to the NATO activities in Central Asia and Tajikistan, cooperation between Tajikistan and the NATO within the framework of the NATO “Partnership for Peace” Program, regional security and joint fight against modern threats. Robert Simons also took part at the international forum entitled “Regional Cooperation in Fighting Terrorism, Extremism, Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime” that was held in Dushanbe on December 15.
