Dushanbe (Tajikistan): Resolving to give a new momentum to bilateral ties, India and Tajikistan today decided to step up cooperation in diverse areas including combating terrorism in the region in the backdrop of US-led forces' drawdown from Afghanistan later this year.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon discussed a range of crucial bilateral and regional issues and identified terrorism as their common enemy while noting that Islamic fundamentalism poses a threat to both the countries as well as to the region.
Tajikistan shares a 1,400-km-long porus border with Afghanistan and has immense geo-strategic significance for India which has been providing military assistance to it including supply of helicopters as part of counter-terrorism cooperation.
India has also developed the Ayni airbase near the Tajik capital Dushanbe, which provided it a foothold in the Central Asian region.
“The discussions were very fruitful and productive,” official sources told PTI.
In the meeting, the Tajik President conveyed his gratitude to India for helping it in strengthening its defence capabilities besides providing assistance to various other projects. Swaraj told Rahmon that the new government in India will step up efforts in expanding ties with its close ally.
Both the leaders agreed to step up counter-terrorism efforts to meet growing challenges of terrorism. “The two leaders discussed counter terrorism and mentioned that they have a common enemy in Islamic fundamentalism and agreed to increase counter terrorism cooperation,” said the sources.
Swaraj, who arrived here last night to participate in annual SCO summit, earlier reviewed the renovation of the Ayni air base. India had deployed its Army and Border Roads Organisation personnel to upgrade the airbase by extending its runway, constructing an air-traffic control tower and perimeter fencing around the base.
The Ayni airbase was completed by India in 2008 after encountering minor problems there and had deployed over 100 personnel there for facilitating operations there. Swaraj also visited a 50-bed hospital, which has been built by India and is ready for inauguration. India had earlier also built a hospital in Farkhor in Tajikistan in the late 90s on the Tajik-Afghan border to treat wounded Northern Alliance fighters battling against the then ruling Taliban regime.
