DUSHANBE, July 18, 2011, Asia-Plus -- Some 40 percent of employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) are youth with less than two years of service, Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on July 18.

According to him, level of knowledge of youth who have got jobs in the MFA over the last three months meets the qualifying standards.  “Thus, 10 young people who graduated from local and foreign universities were competitively selected for work with the ministry last month,” Zarifi noted.

Asked about an effect of arrest of the BBC reporter Urunboy Usmonov on Tajikistan’s prestige on international arena, Zarifi stressed that Tajikistan was the state governed by the rule of law and any person must be answerable in accordance with law.

“It is accepted everywhere.  If special services receive negative information about any person they check it and we should not ignore requirements of law and order just for the prestige of our country,” the minister said.  He considers that no violence was used against Usmonov and his rights were not violated.