Ghani, Rahmon accept each other’s invitation

KABUL (Pajhwok): President Ashraf Ghani and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon discussed extending bilateral and strategic ties between the two nations, especially trade, transit and regional cooperation, on Monday.

A statement from the Presidential Palace said the two leaders talked over the phone and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties and the Amu Darya issue and increasing cooperation.

President Ghani said the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan was  a point of friendship and development and an example of friendship and good cooperation between the two neighboring countries.

Tajik President Emomali Rhmon strongly supported the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process and reaffirmed his country's support for the Afghan government's position in international and regional forums.

He invited President Ghani to visit Tajikistan to promote bilateral and multilateral relations and cooperation and President Ghani accepted the invitation with thanks and also invited President Emomali Rakhmon to visit Afghanistan.

The two presidents accepted each other's invitation to visit and agreed that an inter-ministerial delegation led by acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar would visit Tajikistan in the coming days and will work on groundwork and further cooperation agenda ahead of the two presidents’ meeting.

The two leaders agreed that the Afghanistan delegation will discuss terrorism and countering narcotics, political, economic and security cooperation with the Tajikistan side.

The call comes days after the Tajik president inaugurated a project on the Afghan border, which was in response to Afghanistan’s demand.

Residents of Afghanistan's Badakhshan province have asked the Tajik president for various reconstruction projects, to which he responded positively.

Bk/ma