DUSHANBE, May 8, Asia-Plus – Today morning, President Emomali Rahmon was officially welcomed in Tehran by his Iranian counterpart, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, presidential press service said.
During the official ceremony held at the Presidential Office, national anthems of the two countries were played and the two presidents reviewed a guard of honor.
After the official ceremony, Rahmon and Ahmadinejad held a private meeting. During the meeting, the two discussed a broad range of issues related to bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Iran.
The Tajik and Iranian delegations then started their official talks.
Abdufattoh Sharifzoda, a spokesman for the Tajik president, reported from Tehran that the sides had expressed satisfaction with high level of political dialogue between the two countries, constructive inter-parliamentary and inter-agency cooperation, as well as the progress of socioeconomic, scientific and cultural cooperation. They vowed to boost bilateral economic and trade cooperation, which currently does not correspondent to its real potential and there is considerable room for expansion of economic ties.
They termed construction of the Anzob tunnel, the Sangtuda-2 hydropower plant and the Chormaghzak tunnel in Tajikistan, which are built with the participation of Iran’s capital, as examples of fruitful economic cooperation between Tajikistan and Iran, the spokesman said.
The Iranian side seconded proposals by President Rahmon on holding of the first Tajik-Iranian business forum in Dushanbe and participation of Iran in planning of projects of regional importance such as the construction of the railway Kolkhozobod-Panji Poyon-Kunduz-Mazor-i Sharif-Heart-Mashhad and the establishment of free economic zones in Tajikistan.
In this context, President Rahmon brought the issue of setting up the regional economic organization to attention of the Iranian side.
The sides also discussed regional and international issues being of mutual interest.
President Rahmon arrived in Tehran Monday evening for a three-day visit at the head of a high-ranking delegation to hold talks with senior Iranian officials.
