DUSHANBE, April 5, Asia-Plus — Speaking to journalists, Tajik First Deputy Foreign Minister, Saymoumin Yatimov, and Russian Ambassador to Tajikistan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, yesterday noted that bilateral relations between Tajikistan and Russia have expanded and continuing to show an upward tendency.
An April 4 news conference was dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Yatimov noted that legal foundation of Tajik-Russian cooperation includes 174 different documents signed on the interstate, intergovernmental, interregional and inter-agency levels. These agreements cover almost all fields of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Russia, the deputy minister said.
On the situation in the region, he noted that Tajikistan plays an important role in providing regional security and stability. “Joint efforts to fight terrorism and address modern challenges and threats promote further strengthening of security in the region,“ the deputy minister said, terming joint fight against drug threat emanating from Afghanistan as an example of fruitful many-side cooperation.
According to him, Tajik and Russian counternarcotics agencies have established an efficient cooperation in this field, carrying out joint operations to intercept drugs and detain drug traffickers.
“In 2006, Tajik law enforcement agencies seized 4,789 kilograms of drugs, which is 3.8 percent more than in 2005,” said Yatimov, “Tajikistan accounts for 43 percent of drugs seized within CIS area and 63 percent of drugs seized in Central Asia.”
For his part, the Russian ambassador dwelled on a level of humanitarian cooperation between the two countries, noting that there is a considerable room for expansion of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in this filed. “Certain steps, of course, are taken in this direction annually,” said Abdulatipov, “Russia’s MFA and the Government of Moscow donate thousands of textbooks to schools in Tajikistan and events on propagating the Russian language and literature are being held in Tajikistan.”
On the activity of Russian-Tajik Slavic University (RTSU) in Dushanbe, Russian diplomat said that they currently considering the possibility of opening of branches of this university in other regions of the country as well, including Gorno Badakhshan.
Asked about reports recently released by some media about alleged changes in priorities and main directions of foreign policy of Tajikistan, Saymoumin Yatimov denied them as “unfounded.” “No changes have taken place in Tajikistan’s policy,” Yatimov said, noting that they consider those materials [in Internet – Asia-Plus] to be one-sided and provocative.
For his part, Abdulatipov noted that problems connected with the Roghun project and problems facing Tajik labor migrants in Russia had probably served as ground for such rumors.
