Russian and Tajik presidents Vladimir Putin and Emomali Rahmon held a detailed exchange of views on the situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the Kremlin press service reported following the leaders' telephone conversation.
"A detailed exchange of views on the situation in Afghanistan has been held. The sides stressed the importance of ensuring security of civilians and the soonest normalization of the situation in this country in the interest of maintaining stability in the region. It was agreed to continue regular contacts between the concerned departments of Russia and Tajikistan," the report said.
According to the press service of the Tajik head of state, Putin and Rahmon discussed joint actions of the two countries to strengthen the protection of the Tajik-Afghan border in connection with the escalation of tension in Afghanistan. "Noting that the escalation of tensions in that country could have a negative impact on the overall state of regional security, the sides called for further coordination of efforts on a bilateral and multilateral basis to strengthen protection of the Tajik-Afghan border and comprehensively facilitate a peaceful settlement of the Afghan problem," the press service of the Tajik president reported.
According to the press service, in this connection the parties reached an agreement to continue close contacts and cooperation between relevant ministries and agencies of the two countries on strengthening regional stability. It is noted that during the conversation Putin and Rahmon discussed a range of issues of bilateral cooperation in the format of strategic partnership, including trade, economic, military-technical and other areas, as well as topical issues of the regional and international agenda.
The presidents also discussed preparations for summits of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held in Dushanbe.
"Taking into account the presidency of the Republic of Tajikistan in 2021 in the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the preparations for the upcoming CSTO and SCO summits to be held in Dushanbe were discussed," the statement said.
The last time the presidents of Russia and Tajikistan spoke by telephone was on July 22, when the conversation also touched on the situation in Afghanistan.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS