Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Iranian President Sayyid Ebrahim Raisi held talks in Dushanbe on November 8 to discuss bilateral ties, the Tajik president’s official website says.

The meeting and talks reportedly started with the special meeting of Emomali Rahmon and Sayyid Ebrahim Raisi, and continued with the participation of official delegations of the parties.

Within the framework of the visit program, during the meeting and negotiations, a wide range of important issues of relations and cooperation between Tajikistan and Iran were discussed.

It was stated that the many historical and cultural commonalities of the two brotherly peoples will continue to be a favorable basis for strengthening the atmosphere of understanding, trust and mutual respect in friendly relations and beneficial cooperation.

The parties expressed their satisfaction with the constructive atmosphere and the positive trend of relations between the two countries and the expansion of their content.

In this context, the existence of abundant possibilities of Tajikistan and Iran for expansion and further development and strengthening of cooperation ties in various fields was emphasized, according to the Tajik president’s official website.

Taking into account the importance and role of political dialogue at the highest and high levels in the process of expanding multifaceted cooperation, its effective and regular continuation was advocated.  At the same time, more active bilateral tools, comprehensive implementation of cooperation documents and multi-level agreements in order to reach higher goals that meet the interests of the people of Tajikistan and Iran were considered important.

The important role of the Intergovernmental Commission on Commercial, Economic, Technical and Cultural Cooperation and its next meeting, which is planned to be held in Dushanbe in the near future, was mentioned in the further development of relations between the two countries.

Also, the need for joint efforts to implement the long-term program of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries until 2030 was stressed.

Regular activities of the Joint Investment Committee and the Joint Council of Entrepreneurs were presented as effective factors.

The parties reportedly supported the regular holding of Business Forums and Exhibitions of goods and products in each other's territory as a favorable basis for this process.

The continuation of cooperation in the energy sector, including the construction of hydroelectric and solar power plants in the territory of Tajikistan, was assessed as one of the future areas of cooperation between the parties.

The parties welcomed the implementation of transport and communication projects that connect the two countries with each other and with international networks, and recognized the use of mutual transit capacities for the expansion of economic and trade cooperation as beneficial for both countries.

Healthcare and inter-regional relations were also recognized as promising directions in cooperation between Tajikistan and Iran.

Referring to the existing conditions for the expansion of cooperation in the field of tourism, the increase of flights between the two countries and the simplification of the transportation system in this context were considered favorable.

Along with expressing satisfaction with the good level of cooperation within the framework of international and regional organizations, the parties expressed their commitment to the continuation of multilateral cooperation.

Rahmon and Raisi also exchanged views on number of international and regional issues being of mutual interest, including the situation in Afghanistan, the Palestinian issue, and other topics of the international agenda, the Tajik president’s official website says.

Iranian media reports says Iranian President Sayyid Ebrahim Raisi and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon have urged expanding mutual ties in various fields between the two countries.

Many see Iran president’s visit was as a fence-mending move, as Tajik-Iranian ties have been frosty in recent years.