It is necessary to continue developing trade and economic relations between Russia and Tajikistan in light of the current situation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday at a meeting in the Kremlin with his Tajikistan counterpart Emomali Rahmon before the start of the CSTO summit.
The Russian leader pointed out that he was very pleased to note that Moscow remains Dushanbe's main trade and economic partner in terms of trade turnover. "Last year, our trade turnover grew very seriously, by almost 45%, and this year, in the first three months, it has grown over 70% [%]," Putin said.
"This is a good trend that should be maintained. There are reasons related to the current situation, but our relations are in demand and are developing in the most active way," the Russian president pointed out.
He also suggested discussing security in the Central Asian region. "The situation in the region remains difficult, and I am very interested to hear your opinion on what needs to be done in the near future to strengthen our security in this direction," Putin said, addressing Rahmon.
He added that he was glad to see his counterpart and called their meeting a good opportunity to talk about the bilateral situation, among other things.
Putin had a telephone conversation with Rahmon on May 13, during which they discussed preparations for the CSTO anniversary summit and exchanged views on the situation around Afghanistan.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Federation Council
Based on materials from TASS