DUSHANBE, March 11, 2009, Asia-Plus — President Emomali Rahmon, who is currently in Tehran to attend the 10th summit meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), yesterday met there with his Afghan counterpart, President Hamid Karzai, according to presidential press service.
The two discussed issues related to state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation Tajikistan and Afghanistan and expressed satisfaction with the present level of cooperation between their countries.
During the meeting, it was noted that cooperation between defense ministries, law enforcement and border services of the two countries had yielded good results. The presidents outlined establishment of permanent contacts between defense and interior ministries of the two countries as well as a speedy signing of a military cooperation agreement as priorities of the current cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, the press service said.
The sides highly appraised a role of the Dousti bridge across the Panj River in Nizhny Panj in consolidating permanent overland links between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
Rahmon and Karzai also discussed issues related to construction of a new bridge across the Panj River in Khatlon’s Farkhor district, highways Kabul-Panjsher-Ishkashim and Kunduz-Mazor-i Sharif-Heart, new railway link connecting Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China, as well as power grids Tajikistan-Pul-i Khumri, Roghun-Kabul-Islamabad, Roghun-Mazor-i Sharif-Heart, Khatlon-Taliqan-Fayzabad and the Dashtijum hydroelectric power station (HPS) on the Panj River.
The presidents also discussed bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan in sectors like education, health care ad culture, the press service said.
