Tajik President Emomali Rahmon yesterday received the OSCE Secretary-General Helga Maria Schmid, who arrived in Dushanbe to participate in the Second High-Level International Conference dedicated to the International Decade for Action "Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028."

The Tajik president’s official website says the parties discussed a set of issues related to cooperation between Tajikistan and the OSCE.

Rahmon reportedly noted that Tajikistan attaches great importance to the role of the OSCE in ensuring peace, stability, security and general tranquility in its sphere of influence.

It was noted that the participation of the OSCE in the Second High-Level International Conference dedicated to the International Decade for Action "Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028" is an evidence of the Organization's constant attention to these pressing regional problems.

The parties also discussed prospects of further expansion of cooperation in the field of politics, security, economy, ecology and the humanitarian sphere.

In the economic and environmental dimension, it was recognized that it was necessary to strengthen cooperation in order to overcome the consequences of the spread of the coronavirus, as well as the challenges associated with climate change and natural disasters.

The parties exchanged views on the issues of combating terrorism and extremism, illegal arms and drug trafficking, transnational organized crime and establishing peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed at the meeting.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe is involved in a wide range of activities, ranging from arms control, counter-terrorism and border management projects to disaster risk reduction, good governance, trafficking in human beings and gender equality.