DUSHANBE, March 13, 2014, Asia-Plus – Visiting Russia”s Federation Council (Russia’s upper house of parliament) speaker Valentina Matviyenko and Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev, speaker of Tajikistan’s upper chamber (Majlisi Milli) of parliament, yesterday participated in a meeting of the inter-parliamentary commission for cooperation.
Ubaidulloyev and Matviyenko gave a press conference after the meeting.
Ms. Matviyenko, in particular, noted that the meeting of the inter-parliamentary commission was of significant importance for relations between Moscow and Dushanbe.
“We consider it important to expand trade and economic cooperation between the regions of our countries and we support Dushanbe’s proposal on further expansion of economic cooperation between them,” Russian parliamentary speaker noted.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Ubaidulloyev noted that Matviyenko’s visit would give a new impulse to further development of relations between Tajikistan and Russia. He also expressed hope that bilateral cooperation between the two countries on development of Tajikistan’s hydropower resources would expand in the future as well.
Tajik and Russian parliamentary speakers refrained from assessing the situation in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russian news agency Itar Tass reports that Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Aslov said in Moscow on March 8 after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that an objective assessment should be given to the situation in Ukraine.
“Tajikistan is deeply alarmed by the development of the situation in Ukraine,” said Aslov said. “In our view, the events in Ukraine should be thought over and an objective assessment should be given to processes underway there to prevent confrontation.”
Aslov recalled that in the early 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Tajikistan “lived through political differences and confrontation that led the country to very serious social and economic consequences.”
“The undeniable facts of our nation”s bitter history remind us of the fragility of peace and of the necessity to have a strong political will and make great efforts to unite the nation, reach comprehensive accord and calm in the country,” he said.
