DUSHANBE, October 6, 2011, Asia-Plus — The United States Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Ambassador Marc Grossman was expected to arrive in Tajikistan on Wednesday but the plane could not land at the Dushanbe airport due to a dust storm.
Mr. Grossman was supposed to hold talks with President Emomali Rahmon today morning. A well-informed source in the Tajik government says the meeting of Tajik leader with the U.S. envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan will take place tomorrow, October 7.
It will be the second visit of Ambassador Grossman to Tajikistan since he was appointed the U.S. Special Representatives for Pakistan and Afghanistan in February this year. Ambassador Grossman’s visit to Tajikistan in May this year was part of his tour of the Central Asian region. In May, Marc Grossman met with President Emomali Rahmon and other high-ranking Tajik state officials.
In the meantime, the U.S. Department of State reports U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Marc Grossman is traveling to Abu Dhabi, Ankara, Dushanbe, Bishkek, Astana, Kabul, Beijing, Tashkent, Ashgabat, New Delhi, Islamabad, and Doha from September 30 to October 14, 2011.
According to the U.S. Department of State, “Ambassador Grossman is traveling to South and Central Asia and neighboring regions ahead of the November 2, 2011 Istanbul conference for Afghanistan and in the lead-up to the December 5, 2011 Bonn conference to build support for the vision of a stable, secure, and prosperous Afghanistan in a stable, secure, and prosperous region. Ambassador Grossman also will also discuss the “New Silk Road” vision for the South and Central Asian region’s economic future following the September 22 New Silk Road Ministerial in New York City. In Doha, Ambassador Grossman will speak at the CENTCOM conference for regional U.S. ambassadors.”
