New Delhi. At the invitation of Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Muhriddin, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar will pay an official visit to Tajikistan on March 30-31, a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press statement has said.
The External Affairs Minister will attend the 9th Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) on Afghanistan in Dushanbe on March 30 at the joint invitation of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. He is also expected to meet leaders of other participating countries on the sidelines.
During the visit, The EAM will have discussions with his Tajik counterpart covering all aspects of the bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. He would call on President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, and is expected to meet other Tajik Ministers and dignitaries.
This is the second visit of Dr Jaishankar to Tajikistan. Earlier in June 2019, he visited Tajik capital city of Dushanbe to attend 5th Summit of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. The current visit is in continuation of the frequent high-level exchanges between the two countries that will further strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership between the two nations, the MEA statement added.
As the lead country for Trade, Commerce and Investment Confidence Building Measure (CBM) under HoA-IP, India has made concerted efforts for strengthening regional connectivity for the greater economic integration of Afghanistan with the region. A dedicated Air Freight Corridor between cities of India and Afghanistan and operationalisation of Chabahar Port in Iran are steps in that direction.
Notably India as an important stakeholder for peace, prosperity and stability in Afghanistan has played a constructive role in the international processes on Afghanistan. India has engaged regional and international stakeholders on Afghanistan. “This visit would further enhance our outreach to Central Asian countries with a special focus on Afghanistan,” the statement noted.
