Tajikistan Welcomes Establishment of Regional Integration Organisation

Tajikistan welcomes the decision of the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine to set up the Regional Integration Organisation.

President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmonov said as much at a meeting with executive secretary of the CIS Yuri Yarov on Tuesday.

Rakhmonov also stated that he "views this fact as evidence of the beginning of a new stage of economic integration within the CIS framework with the ultimate aim of forming a Single Economic Space".

In Yuri Yarov's oopinion, "this Four will become the locomotive within the CIS bounds and will give an additional impetus to the movement in the set direction with the Single Economic Space as the last thing we would like to achieve." As the president's press secretary said, during the discussion of the problems of the Commonwealth the head of Tajikistan reaffirmed the Tajik side's readiness to seek optimal forms of cooperation for translating the priorities of this interstate association into reality. "Issues related to the activity of the CIS and ensurance of its vital capacity are constantly in the centre of attention of the government of Tajikistan," Emomali Rakhmonov said.

In the course of the meeting the sides also exchanged views on the state of affairs in the Commonwealth's area and discussed in detail the question concerning the meeting of the CIS Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs slated to be held in Dushanbe on April 11th, 2003.