DUSHANBE, March 26, Asia-Plus — A two-day meeting of foreign ministers of Tajikistan, Afghanistan and in Iran in Dushanbe ended on March 25 with signing of a joint communiqué for expansion of tripartite economic and cultural relations.
The statement, including a prelude and 12 clauses, was endorsed by Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi and his Afghan and Iranian counterparts Rangin Dadfar Sepanta and Manouchehr Mottaki respectively.
The document states that the three foreign ministers had in their meeting discussed issues of trilateral interest as well as regional and international issues in a friendly atmosphere, reaching the agreement to hold regular consultation on political issues and enhancing cooperation for promotion of regional stability and security.
The three sides will take joint efforts against such phenomena as terrorism, extremism, internationally organized crimes, smuggle of drugs and other new challenges and threats.
The three sides will implement a June 2003 trilateral protocol for passenger and cargo transfer on the international level and they will follow up a project for laying railway track stretching from Tajikistan via Afghanistan to Iran.
They also stressed implementation of a 2005 energy project which foresees setting up a 500 kilovolt high voltage power transmission line from Tajikistan via Afghan cities of Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif and from there to Iran.
The Tajik party has suggested establishment of a hydraulic power plant on a Tajik domestic river.
In the meantime, Iran’s news agency IRNA said that the three sides had agreed on formation of a joint investment company based on their laws and international standards to run with domestic and foreign financial resources. The three neighbors will based on the agreement cooperate in providing skilled manpower for recruitment in due projects.
Tajikistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Iran will facilitate their nationals” visit to their territories and to this end they will open up consulate officials in the cities they agreed to, IRNA said.
They will based on the agreement have cooperation in the fields of education, science, health, cultural heritage and tourism and set up a TV network in Dushanbe to prepare and broadcast Farsi, Tajik, Dari and Pashtun programs.
The three foreign ministers also agreed on holding a ceremony in commemoration of the great Farsi poet Abu Abdullah Rudaki in Dushanbe, Tus, Tehran and Balkh.
They also stressed trilateral cooperation within framework of the UN, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and other international and regional organizations.
The three parties also agreed on formation a follow up council at the level of their deputy foreign ministers to follow up implementation of agreements regarding expansion of trilateral political, economic and cultural ties. The first meeting of such a council would be held in Kabul this year.
Foreign ministers of Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Iran have termed outcome of their Dushanbe meeting “positive” and stressed continuation of such meetings in the future
Speaking at a joint press conference after the meeting, Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi said that agreements reached in Dushanbe are not politically motivated and they are aimed at other countries; on contrary, expansion of economic cooperation among Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan will promote development of relations with the Central Asian states, Russia, China and East Asia.
He noted that outcome of the trilateral meeting in Dushanbe will be valuable for cooperation and coordination among the three countries within framework of such regional organizations as the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and the SCO.
Iran”s Manouchehr Mottaki said that the Dushanbe talks will pave the way for implementation of joint venture projects, especially in the energy and transportation sectors, giving impetus to trilateral economic cooperation.
Iranian minister noted that Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan do not intend to set up any economic union. “Our countries are members of the ECO, and therefore there is no necessity to establish any other structure,” said Mottaki. “Our economic relations will develop within the framework of this organization.”
Asked about the date of a tripartite meeting of the heads of state of Afghanistan, Iran and Tajikistan, Mottaki said that the date had not yet been fixed.
In the meantime, the source at Tajik MFA said that it cannot be ruled out that the tripartite meeting of the presidents of Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Iran summit will be held in Dushanbe on sidelines of the SCO summit that will be held here this year. The presidents of Afghanistan and Iran will be invited to attend the summit, according to the source.
For his part, Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Sepanta said that the Dushanbe meeting had been a step towards implementation of agreements reached among presidents of the three countries.
“Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan are among the countries which need no translator in talks due to sharing a common language,” said Espanta, adding that the three sides are to bolster mutual economic ties and have surface link as a way of access to other Central Asian states and China.
He said the next such trilateral foreign ministerial meeting on Navrouz will be held in Herat, Afghanistan, next year.
