DUSHANBE, July 31, 2014, Asia-Plus – Russia intends to continue assisting Tajikistan in modernizing its armed forces and improving border management and control, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in Dushanbe yesterday after a meeting with his Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Aslov.

Mr. Lavrov noted that that assistance was provided to Tajikistan within the framework of bilateral cooperation and within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (SCTO).

He stressed that Russia was the top trading partner o Tajikistan.  “Over the first five months of this year, a two-way trade between Russia and Tajikistan has increased by 19 percent,” said Lavrov.  “The volume of Russian investments in Tajikistan’s economy has reached 1.6 billion U.S. dollars, which is 40 percent of all foreign direct investments made in Tajikistan’s economy.”

The next meeting of the Russian-Tajik joint commission for trade and economic cooperation that will take place before the end of this year will discuss issues to improve business environment for Tajik and Russian companies, the Russian minister said.

Lavrov noted that agreements on easing migration regulations for Tajik labor migrants in Russia had come into force.  He noted that Tajik migrant workers last year remitted more than 4 billion U.S. dollars to banks in Tajikistan.

He also noted that Tajikistan is welcome to join the Eurasian Economic Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan that comes into being in January.

Lavrov also expressed gratitude to Tajikistan for its implementation of the Russian-Tajik agreement on keeping Russian troops at military bases in Tajikistan.

“We value our allied and strategic relations with Tajikistan,” Russian foreign minister noted.

Tajik foreign minister, for his part, said that he and his Russian counterpart discussed bilateral relations and regional security issues, including situation in Afghanistan.

Aslov thanked Russia for its readiness to provide Tajik armed forces with military and technical assistance.

Tajik and Russian foreign ministers reportedly discussed the further deepening of strategic partnership, based on mutual trust and respect for the interests of each other.

Aslov and Lavrov also exchanged views on important international agenda issues, including the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on Central Asian security, as well as on other matters being of mutual interest.

The ministers also analyzed the situation in bilateral trade with a view to forming the maximally favorable environment for business activity of Russian and Tajikistani companies on the two countries’ markets, as well as will discussed bilateral cooperation in the spheres of science, education, culture, and labor migration.

Lavrov is paying a return visit to Tajikistan, as the Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Aslov visited Russia in March 2014.

Lavrov’s visit to Tajikistan is being held on the eve of a meeting of the foreign ministers of the member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) that is being held in Dushanbe today.

The Russian Foreign Ministry says that relations between Russia and Tajikistan are characterized by the intensification of co-operation in many spheres.  The agreements between the two countries’ presidents on the status and terms of deployment of the Russian military base in Tajikistan have come into force. The implementation of the agreements, improving the conditions of registration and labor activity of Tajikistani citizens in Russia has started.

The Russian Foreign Ministry notes that the above agreements are a tangible result of the visits of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Dushanbe in October 2012, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to Moscow in July - August 2013, as well as their meeting in Sochi on February 6, 2014.