DUSHANBE, March 25, Asia-Plus – On Monday March 24, Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi met with here with his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki. Their talks focused on ways to develop bilateral relations. Both sides vowed to boost economic and cultural cooperation.
According to Iran’s news agency IRNA, Zarifi pointed to the agreement reached by the Iranian and Tajik presidents saying that cooperation in the field of energy, telecom and transport would serve to upgrade Tehran-Dushanbe ties. He said that cooperation in setting up electricity networks, construction of roads and railways would be great steps toward bolstering economic cooperation. The Tajik foreign minister said that the two nations have cultural affinity.
“The Iranian and Tajik nations have common sense and that materializing aspirations of the two presidents will ensure success of the two nations,” Zarifi said.
The Tajik people have common tradition of celebrating Noruz (spring equinox), he said, offering felicitations to Iranians on the festivity.
Mottaki, for his part, offered congratulations to the Tajik government and nation on Noruz festivity and said that he was pleased with the growing trend of cooperation between the two nations. “It is a pleasure to see the two Iranian and Tajik nations have taken new steps to develop relations in light of historical amity,” Mottaki said.
The Iranian foreign minister said that he would follow up implementation of the agreement reached by the Iranian and Tajik presidents.
He said that the first step will be exploring the new capacity and the second will be putting into practice the agreement already reached by the two countries.
Mottaki said that construction of Sangtuda-2 power plant and linking it to the Iranian and Tajik national grids would serve to make good on power shortage when consumption in either Iran or Tajikistan is high.
He said that fostering economic cooperation among Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Iran including construction of Iran-Herat-Panji Poyon (Nizhny Panj) railway would be fruitful for prospects of financial cooperation.
Referring to the upcoming Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization due to be held in Dushanbe next June, he said that the Summit would take great strides to develop cooperation at regional and international levels.
