The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Muhriddin took part in the 5th Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Central Asia-China format that took place in southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu on December 1.
The Tajik MFA information department says that in statement delivered at the meeting, top Tajik diplomat presented the country's position on further strengthening multilateral cooperation within the framework of this format, the activities of its working mechanisms and secretariat.
Meanwhile, China’s Xinhua notes that chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the meeting saw extensive discussions among the foreign ministers on comprehensively advancing cooperation and making political preparations for the second China-Central Asia Summit scheduled for next year.
Attendees also included Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu, Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeenbek Kulubayev, Tajikistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Turkmenistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, and Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov.
Speaking at the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted that the China-Central Asia Mechanism has been in place for four years, during which the six countries, driven by good neighborliness, solidarity and pragmatism, have worked together to promote its development.
According to him, significant progress has been made since the first summit in Xi'an last May, with over half of the relevant projects being implemented or making substantial progress.
The two sides have established ministerial platforms in areas such as trade, customs, agriculture, transportation, and industrial investment, Wang said, adding that China is willing to enhance cooperation with Central Asian countries and align development strategies.
Speaking at the meeting, the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries noted that based on the principles of equality and mutual respect, China and Central Asia enjoy a high level of mutual trust and extensive cooperation, establishing an exemplary model of relations among neighboring countries.
According to the ministers, the Central Asian countries express their support for China's cooperation proposals and their willingness to collaborate on the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthen law enforcement and security cooperation, and jointly build a China-Central Asia community with a shared future. They also voiced support for China's rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The six foreign ministers reportedly agreed on establishing a themed cooperation year every two years to foster high-quality development in China-Central Asia relations.
On Sunday, the foreign ministers also attended the launching ceremony of the "Tianfu" cross-border freight truck service to Central Asia.
The transport service now connects 20 cities across five Central Asian countries. Plans are underway to expand the service to cover major Central Asian cities within three years.
Additionally, the ministers inaugurated a China-Central Asia center for the exhibition and promotion of commodities, which features national pavilions for the five Central Asian countries to showcase and promote their products.
The center will serve as a new platform for collaboration in trade, education, culture, and tourism between China and Central Asia, according to Xinhua.
