DUSHANBE, October 30, 2013, Asia-Plus — There ought not to seek political motives in a recent attack on Tajik train in Russian territory, Mohammad Egamzod, a spokesman for the Tajik Embassy in Moscow, told Asia-Plus today morning.
According to him, this incident should be solved by railway companies of the two countries.
“We have familiarized ourselves with comments of representatives of Tajik Railways who say that there was no any attack but it was just “a childish escapade.” But we did not invent the situation. We received an official appeal for help from Tajik Railways’ office in Moscow,” said Egamzod.
After receiving the appeal from Tajik Railways’ in Moscow, the Tajik Embassy applied to the Russian side through diplomatic channels asking for full investigation into the incident and compensation for damages, the spokesman added.
He confirmed that similar incident happened to the train operating on the Moscow-Khujand route as well. Egamzod did not give the details of this incident.
“State railway companies as well as law enforcement authorities of Tajikistan and the Russian Federation should come to negotiating table to seek solutions to such incidents,” Egamzod added.
We will recall that Mohammad Egamzod told Asia-Plus yesterday that around 20 young men of Slavic appearance, some shouting nationalist slogans, attacked the Moscow-Dushanbe train at the Ternovka railway station in midnight on October 26; several passengers were slightly injured while 20 train windows were broken. “The assault was accompanied by offensive words and racist threats against the passengers,” said Egamzod. “Russian transportation police and railway staff did not take any measures to prevent the attack.”
Tajik Embassy in Moscow reportedly asked Russia to impartially investigate the xenophobic attack that occurred with the connivance of local law enforcement authorities and representatives of the Yugo-Vostochnaya Railway and to cover all expenses related to the attack.
Meanwhile, Eurasianet reports that Tajik Railways disputed this version of events, saying that the incident amounted to no more than a few children throwing stones at the train, breaking six windows. “I would like to note that this happens everywhere, and even in our country children throw stones at trains,” Mahmadyusuf Abdurahmonov, the head of the Tajik Railways passenger service, told the Tajik Telegraph Agency (TajikTA) on October 29,
