DUSHANBE, February 25, 2009, Asia-Plus – Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Emomali Rahmon discussed Russian-Tajik economic cooperation and interaction in the settlement of regional problems, primarily Afghanistan, Medvedev’s press secretary Natalia Timakova told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

“The presidents analyzed the entire range of bilateral relations and agreed to continue the joint work, in particular energy contacts, at the intergovernmental commission,” she said.

The Sangtuda 1 hydropower plant, which has been described by Medvedev and Rahmon as a successful example of the bilateral cooperation, will be started up soon, Timakova said. “The presidents said they would continue the discussion of building hydropower plants in Tajikistan,” she noted.

Gas cooperation was another item on the agenda. “The sides confirmed their wish to speed up geological survey of gas deposits in Tajikistan,” Timakova said.

Defense and military-technical cooperation were also discussed.

“Regional affairs, including the settlement in Afghanistan, were a separate item,” she said. “The presidents confirmed their assistance to intensive international efforts, including a specialized conference under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) aegis dedicated to the Afghan normalization.”