DUSHANBE, November 12, 2012, Asia-Plus – On the sidelines of the fourth edition of the “Central Asia plus Japan” Dialogue, Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi held talks with his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba in Tokyo on November 10.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, the sides discussed issues related to state and expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Japan inv various fields as well as cooperation between the two countries within international organizations and the situation in the region in connection with the upcoming withdrawal of the coalition forces from Afghanistan.
Implementation of the regional projects aimed at construction of highways and railway links and increase in quota for Tajik students studying at higher educational institutions in Japan were in the focus of the meeting.
In the course of the talks, Tajik minister, in particular, noted that time has come to bring bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Japan to the qualitatively new level. Zarifi called on the Japanese side to invest in development of Tajikistan’s economy, the source said.
The sides reportedly also touched upon issues related to strengthening control of Tajikistan’s common border with Afghanistan. In this connect, Japanese minister expressed readiness to provide necessary technical assistance for improvement of border control. He also reportedly stressed that Japan appreciated Tajikistan’s support for reconstruction of Afghanistan’s economy.
The meeting resulted in signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the foreign ministries of the two countries.
On the same day, Zarifi visited Tajik Embassy in Tokyo, where a ceremony of handover of the sakura tree seedlings on behalf of Japan’s organization, Soya, took place.
The ceremony was attended by Hamrokhon Zarifi, Ms. Mika Mori, chairperson of the Soya organization also head of Mori trust Holdings Inc, Mr. Shin Maruo, ex-Ambassador of Japan to Tajikistan, representatives of Japan’s MFA and Tajik Embassy in Tokyo as well as Tajik students studying in Japan.
Mika Mori handed over 100 sakura tree seedlings to Zarifi that would be planted in Dushanbe during an official opening of a new building of Tajik MFA, the source said.
