Acting Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar met with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon on Thursday afternoon and discussed the Afghan peace talks, and strengthening trade and economic cooperations.

In a statement released on Friday, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) stated that Emomali Rahmon has welcomed the start of the long-waited intra-Afghan talks and assured Atmar of Tajik’s government support for “the Afghan peace process and the principled position of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.”

Meanwhile, the two sides discussed the expansion of trade, economic, and cultural ties between Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

“Emomali Rahmon stressed that cooperation with Afghanistan in Tajikistan’s foreign policy is one of the priority areas,” the statement said.

رییس‌جمهور تاجیکستان در دیدار با وزیر خارجه @MHaneefAtmar همکاری با افغانستان را از اولویتهای سیاست خارجی تاجیکستان شمرد و از موقف جمهوری اسلامی در تأمین صلح پایدار حمایت کرد.دوطرف روی تطبیق پروژه‌های زیربنایی، توسعه تجارت وترانزیت، انتقال انرژی ومبارزه با تروریزم صحبت کردند. pic.twitter.com/ejF6BPHBcW

— MFA Afghanistan 🇦🇫 (@mfa_afghanistan) September 18, 2020

Both sides also highlighted the importance of further implementation of regional structural and energy projects that are important for the region, which is a factor “in attracting Afghanistan to the process of regional cooperation.”

In particular, the parties’ interest in bringing cooperation in the field of science, education, culture, art, and information to a new level was emphasized.

“The two sides also discussed in detail the implementation of infrastructure projects, trade, and transit development, energy transfer, counter-terrorism and counter-extremism, the control of organized crime, the strengthening of cross-border cooperation, the expansion of cultural trade and the training of Afghan professionals. 

Emphasizing the deep historical and cultural ties between the two countries, Atmar called for the expansion of bilateral relations to the level of strategic cooperation.