Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif yesterday reviewed the latest situation of bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries on Afghanistan issues and expressed interest of their countries in further expansion of political, economic and cultural cooperation, according to the Tajik MFA information department.
Muhriddin held talks with Zarif on the sidelines of the 9th Ministerial Meeting of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process that took place in Dushanbe on March 30.
The two also discussed issues related to expansion of inter-parliamentary cooperation between Tajikistan and Iran, especially intensification of activities of the Tajikistan/Iran Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Besides, they exchanged views on cooperation between Tajikistan and Iran within regional and international organizations.
Emphasizing the role of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation for expansion of cooperation, the two sides noted the need to implement agreements reached at meetings of the committee for review of the implementation of the protocol of the 13th session of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation and make preparations for the 14th session of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation.
In this context, the ministers noted the importance of increasing the bilateral trade between the two countries.
They also discussed the issue of implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on principles and frames of bilateral cooperation in the field of security, the Tajik MFA information department said.
Iranian media reports say that referring to the fruitful negotiations with the President of Tajikistan, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed the readiness of Iran to expand and deepen bilateral relations with Tajikistan.
Muhriddin reportedly described the shared culture and history of the three countries (Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan) as a priceless wealth for all three nations and stressed his country's readiness to develop a trilateral economic infrastructure, including strengthening the transit and rail capacity between the three states.
Iranian foreign minister arrived in Dushanbe on March 29 for a two-day visit to participate in a ministerial meeting of the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process initiative and to meet with Tajikistan’s high-ranking state officials.
