DUSHANBE, October 22, 2011, Asia-Plus – On Friday October 21, Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi met here with visiting Majlis-e Shoura-ye Eslami (The Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran) Speaker Dr. Ali Larijani.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, the sides discussed development of ties as well as international and regional issues being of mutual interest.
Zarifi appreciated Iran’s support for implementation of a number of important projects in Tajikistan. Zairifi, in particular, noted that a number of energy and infrastructure development projects were being implemented in Tajikistan under support of Iran.
Iranian parliament speaker, for his part, expressed satisfaction with the current level of cooperation between Iran and Tajikistan and noted that Iran attached significance to expansion of bilateral cooperation with Tajikistan in the field of tourism.
In the course of the talks, the two also touched upon the issue of the construction of a railway link connecting Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China, aimed at boosting trade, increasing exports, and easing transit costs in the region, as well as expanding passenger traffic, the source said.
Tajik minister outlined sectors like energy, transportation, and tourism as areas of which could drive the bilateral trade between the two countries. Zarifi especially invited Iranian investments in hydropower and infrastructure development programs and development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
On the bilateral educational cooperation, the sides expressed readiness to increase student quotas and expand cooperation in training of specialists for exact sciences, medicines and other areas being of mutual interest, the source said.
