Krishna to pay a two-day visit to Tajikistan from Monday

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Krishna to pay a two-day visit to Tajikistan from Monday - India - DNA

External Affairs Minister SM Krishna will leave for Tajikistan tomorrow on a two-day visit during which he will hold talks with Tajik leadership and attend a meeting of Indian Heads of Mission of 11 countries in the strategic Eurasian region.

Krishna's tour to Dushanbe is aimed at accelerating India's strategic, economic and energy ties with the region and it comes months after Defence Minister A K Antony's brief visit to Tajikistan in October last year on his way to Russia.

During his meeting with Tajik Leadership, Krishna is likely to discuss a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including trade, economy, security and terrorism.

"The External Affairs Minister is expected to hold comprehensive discussions with his Tajik counterpart and the Tajikistan leadership on India-Tajik bilateral relations and on the situation in the region," officials said here.

Krishna's visit assumes significance as the strategically located Central Asian country shares borders with Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China. Also, a narrow strip of land separates it from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The ties between India and Tajikistan deepened in the late 1990s, when they came closer following rise of Taliban in Afghanistan. The ties further deepened since 2002, especially in the areas of counter-terrorism and defence cooperation.

India is also in talks with Tajikistan to set up a military hospital even as it maintains an air base in Ayni there, the country's only such facility overseas.

During his stay in Dushanbe, Krishna will address a Regional Conference of Indian Ambassadors in the Eurasian Region and this includes Indian envoys to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

This is the Sixth Regional Meeting of Heads of Mission that the External Affairs Minister is addressing.

 

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Krishna says India's relationship with Tajikistan "excellent", IBN Live News

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today described India's relationship with Tajikistan as "excellent" after meeting his Tajik counterpart Hamrokhon Zarifi here during which the two leaders discussed bilateral issues like trade, energy and counter-terrorism besides situation in the region. Krishna, who arrived here on a special flight for a two-day visit, was received by Tajikistan Deputy Foreign Minister Nizomiddin Zohidov at the Dushanbe International airport here. His visit to Dushanbe, first by any Indian External Affairs Minister in nine years, is part of India's 'Connect Central Asia Policy' to tap the natural resources-rich region. The External Affairs Minister met his Tajik counterpart for 40-minutes during which they discussed cooperation in energy sector, economy and counter-terrorism besides other issues of mutual interest and on the situation in the region especially Afghanistan, officials said. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Krishna described the relationship between the two countries as "excellent". "India and Tajikistan have an excellent relationship, a very cordial one. This year we will be completing 20 years of diplomatic relations with the Tajikistan," he told reporters alongside his Tajik counterpart Zarifi. "We discussed bilateral issues and regional development and we also discussed the world's financial situation which is deteriorating every day and the possible impact it has on other countries. This is of great interest to both of our countries," Krishna said.

He said India is looking forward to the visit of Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon in September, adding that this will cement already excellent bilateral ties. Krishna will meet Rahmon tomorrow. "There was a long discussion about Afghanistan. They agreed that without a stable Afghanistan, the region can not be stable," officials said, adding that the minister also briefed Zarifi about recent Afghan Investment Summit held in New Delhi.