DUSHANBE , January 19, Asia-Plus  On January 18, Tajikistan and Iran signed in Tehran eight memorandums of understanding (MoU''s) on economic and political cooperation between the two countries.

President Emomali Rahmonov and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad signed the MoU’s.

The MoU''s covered various topics such as an amendment to the banking loans, upgrading the standards of goods and products, transportation, construction of dams and power plant, additional protocol for construction of Sangtuda-2 power plant, cooperation on energy and cooperation between the two sides foreign ministries.

At the end of the joint meeting, the two presidents issued a joint statement on expansion of cooperation.

After signing the statement, Emomali Rahmonov described his visit to Iran as fruitful and said the visit would be considered as a turning point for expansion of special and extensive relations between the two countries.  "During the meeting with Iranian officials we studied grounds for expansion of political and economic cooperation," he said.  The MoU''s signed in the meetings would result in further expansion of mutual ties, he pointed out.  Rahmonov invited his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend the unveiling ceremony in the near future of Anzob tunnel, which is a joint venture between the two countries.

For his part, Ahmadinejad expressed the hope that the current visit of Tajik president would be considered as a turning point in the expansion of mutual relations.  The countries in the East as well as the Central Asian countries who wish to gain access to the Persian Gulf through Iran and those from the Persian Gulf littoral states who wish to have access to Central Asia are in need for sea and land transportation that the new MoU has included the option, he said.  At the meeting, the two sides had fruitful negotiations on mutual, regional and international issues, campaign against terrorism, drug trafficking as well as removal of threats to human life and global security, he said.  Describing the visit of Tajik president as positive, he expressed the hope the visit would lead to further expansion of relations between the two countries.