On the sidelines of the 18th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on June also held talks with leaders of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and India in Qingdao, China, according to the Tajik president’s official website.  

Emomali Rahmon and Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani reportedly discussed state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

Emomali Rahmon (R) and Ashraf Ghani

Tajik leader, in particular, noted that establishment of peace and stability in Afghanistan was a significant factor of security of Tajikistan and the Central Asian region as a whole.

Sooronbay Jeenbekov and Emomali Rahmon

Rahmon’s talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov reportedly focused on further expansion of bilateral cooperation and good neighborly relations between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Mamnoon Hussain and Emomali Rahmon

Emomali Rahmon and his Pakistani counterpart Mamnoon Hussain held in-depth consultations of mutual interest.  They reviewed progress in bilateral relations, expressed satisfaction on close fraternal relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening ties between the two brotherly nations.

They noted the bilateral economic potential between Pakistan and Tajikistan and agreed to make joint efforts to substantially increase bilateral trade.

The two leaders also examined the prospects of cooperation in areas of trade and economy, investment, culture, education, science & technology, defense and people-to-people contacts.

According to Xinhua, referring to Pakistan's energy requirements, the President of Pakistan stressed early completion of CASA-1000 and expressed Pakistan's interest in promoting connectivity with Central Asia through Tajikistan.

Narendra Modi and Emomali Rahmon

Emomali Rahmon and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about key sectors of bilateral cooperation.

Tajik leader reportedly invited Chinese investments in Tajikistan’s energy sector and launch of joint ventures. 

It was noted that increase in the number of flights between Dushanbe and New Delhi would promote further expansion of bilateral cooperation between the countries.  

Indian media reports say that Mr. Modi noted, “India and Tajikistan are working together in areas such as security, technology and energy. Today's meeting also focused on ways to further enhance connectivity.”