On Friday February 25, President Emomali Rahmon received visiting the Russian Federation Council (Russia’s upper chamber of parliament) Valentina Matviyenko, who was on a two-day official visit in Tajikistan.  

According to the Tajik president’s official website, the parties discussed state and prospects of further expansion of friendly cooperation between Tajikistan and the Russian Federation in various fields, including inter-parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.  

Emomali Rahmon reportedly expressed satisfaction with the high level of cooperation between the two nations and highly appraised personal contribution of Valentina Matviyenko to expansion of strategic partnership between Tajikistan and Russia.  

The parties also discussed activities of the intergovernmental commission for trade and economic cooperation and the Tajik-Russian forum for development of strategic partnership, the Tajik president’s official website noted. 

Besides, Rahmon and Matviyenko discussed issues related to labor migration, creation of Russian-language schools in Tajikistan, humanitarian cooperation, attraction of Russian investments in Tajikistan, and cooperation between the regions of the two countries.

They also exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues being of mutual interest, the current situation in Afghanistan and jointly addressing global challenges and threats.  

Meanwhile, TASS says Valentina Matviyenko informed Tajik leader of the current situation around Ukraine. 

Russia's special military operation is aimed at stopping the militarization of Ukraine, Matviyenko said on in Dushanbe Friday while addressing the 7th Inter-Parliamentary Forum "Tajikistan-Russia: Potential for Interregional Cooperation".

"In accordance with the treaties that we signed with the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics on mutual assistance and cooperation, Russia announced a special military operation to enforce peace, to stop the militarization of Ukraine going on in the most active way, we were simply left with no other choice," Matviyenko noted, according to TASS. 

Matviyenko heading a Russian delegation arrived in Dushanbe on February 24.  The delegation members reportedly included senators, governors, and representatives of Russian business.