DUSHANBE, February 6, Asia-Plus -- Russia and Tajikistan have been cooperating in all directions of humanitarian are, Russian Ambassador to Tajikistan Ramazan Abdulatipov remarked at a meeting with representatives from the Dushanbe intelligentsia on February 3.   

“But if anything is done by Russia it is apprehended as proper while something done by other countries is apprehended as an aid and is widely publicized by all media,” Russian diplomat noted.  

On the aid provided to Tajikistan in 2005, Mr. Abdulatipov noted that the Russian embassy in Dushanbe provided US$240,000 for purchasing textbooks for Russian-language schools in the republic and US$400,000 for development of studying-material basis of Russian-Tajik Slavic University in Dushanbe.  

Besides, at present more than 800 Tajiks are studying at Russian higher educational institutions and US$5,000 are spent per each of them annually, according to Abdulatipov.   

“In 2006, we plan to increase a quota for entering the Russian higher educational institutions for Tajikistan’s ministries of education and interior, border service and other power-wielding structures,” Ramazan Abdulatipov noted.  

On the economic cooperation between the two countries, Russian ambassador said that he had applied to a number of governors of Russian regions encouraging them to established direct relations with Tajikistan and they had agreed with pleasure. 

Russian diplomat also noted that the Russian Dramatic Mayakovsky Theatre of Dushanbe was scheduled to make tour of St. Petersburg.