DUSHANBE, May 24, 2011, Asia-Plus — Issues related to reconstruction of Afghanistan’s economy, border security, implementation of the Roghun hydroelectricity project and the Central Asia South Asia Regional Electricity Trade Project (CASA 1000) were discussed yesterday at a meeting of Principal Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmoudjon Sobirov with Geoffrey Pyatt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of South and Central Asia Affairs, according to the Tajik MFA information department.
Mr. Pyatt, in particular, noted that relations between the United States and Afghanistan entered a new level and the United States will now take efforts to promote economic development of Afghanistan in order to strengthen peace and wellbeing in this country, the source said.
It was noted that Tajikistan could substantially promote achievement of those goals through developing infrastructure and supplying electricity to Afghanistan.
The US State Department official noted that the United States was ready to promote development of trade between Central Asia and South Asia.
Mahmoudjon Sobirov, for his part, expressed hope that the United States would provide support for implementation of Tajikistan’s hydroelectricity projects that would promote economic development not only of the country but the entire region as whole, because those projects would allow Tajikistan to supply surplus electricity to South Asia’s countries, the source noted.
