Salehi: IRI reliable friend, partner of Tajikistan

IRI Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said on Thursday that Iran is a reliable friend and partner of Tajikistan and it wishes welfare and dignity for the Tajik nation and government. Talking to reporters after a joint press conference with his Tajik counterpart, Salehi said that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is personally interested in friendship with Tajik nation and President Emomali Rahmonov. Salehi would convey a message from President Ahmadinejad to his Tajik counterpart. Salehi further noted, “Before leaving for Dushanbe, President Ahmadinejad told me to remind the Tajik president and nation that Iran is a reliable friend for you.” “We are friends who stand by you even under strict conditions,” he said. He said that he discussed bilateral issues and international and regional developments with his Tajik counterpart Hamrokhon Zarifi. Referring to the development projects implemented by the Iranian experts in Tajikistan, Salehi hoped that several other projects would be undertaken by them. The main topic discussed during the talks with Zarifi was mutual cooperation, he said, adding that efforts are underway to promote cooperation in the industrial, cultural, scientific and educational fields. Given Iran’s capabilities and Tajikistan’s wealth, the two countries complement each other, Salehi said. He also said that Zarifi expressed pleasure with the level of ties and said that the existing facilities should be utilized to support the two countries’ national interests. Salehi’s three-day visit to Tajikistan started Wednesday night on an official invitation extended by his Tajik counterpart.