Russian President Vladimir Putin to Visit Tajikistan

The Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would pay an official visit to Tajikistan in the near future. According to the Russian Foreign Minister, the main objective of his visit to Dushanbe was to arrange and discuss the Russian President's visit.

Russia and Tajikistan are partners and allies. Relations between the countries are developing in all directions. The countries are co-operating within the CIS, EURASEC, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation and the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation," Igor Ivanov said. Moreover, he stressed that "both parties are ready to make new agreements that could make our partnership even closer." In particular, the Russian Foreign Minister said that a number of agreements specifying the activities of a Russian military base in Tajikistan were being prepared for discussion. "It is common knowledge that an agreement on status and conditions for deployment of the Russian military base in the Tajik Republic was signed in 1999 and then ratified by both parties," Igor Ivanov said. At present, according to him, property, the organisational and personnel issues as well as those concerning real estate and the area will be discussed. "These agreements will help us tackle all legal issues concerning the deployment of the Russian troops on a military base in Tajikistan that is the only one in Central Asia," the Russian Foreign Minister emphasised.

When speaking about economic co-operation between the countries, Mr. Ivanov pointed out that Tajikistan was the only source of water resources in Central Asia. "We are elaborating a construction project of a number of hydropower plants on the Vakhsh River." Once their construction is completed, Tajikistan will be able both to provide itself with energy and export it to neighbouring countries, including Afghanistan.