DUSHANBE, April 12, 2011, Asia-Plus — The second meeting of Annual Bilateral Consultations (ABC) between Tajikistan and the United States took place in Dushanbe on April 11.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi headed the Tajik delegation and the US delegation was led by the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake. The U.S. delegation members included representatives of the Department of State, Department of Defense, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan, Mr. Kenneth Gross.
In the course of the talks, the sides discussed issues related to bilateral economic cooperation between Tajikistan and the United States, general aid, agricultural reforms, providing favorable investment climate, energy problems and human rights issues, including freedom of speech and religion in Tajikistan.
They also discussed Tajikistan’s support for measures to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan, strengthening of border, fight against drug trafficking and international terrorism.
The delegations also considered issues related to the infrastructure and transportation development support projects as well as hydroelectricity projects worked out in cooperation with other countries, in particular the Central Asia South Asia Electricity Trade and Transmission Project (CASA 1000), the source said.
The sides noted that development of long-term, stable and friendly relations between Tajikistan and the United States met interests of both countries and would promote strengthening of peace and stability in the region, the source noted.
According to him, summing up the results of the meeting, Zarifi expressed satisfaction with the results of discussions and noted that that format of bilateral dialogue allowed stating positions and views on state of bilateral relations, assessing the progress and outlining ways of further development of mutually beneficial relations.
