Putin says Tajikistan plays key role in maintaining regional stability

DUSHANBE, February 27. /TASS/. Russia highly values Tajikistan’s stance on solving regional security issues, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon. According to the Russian leader, Russia’s military base in Tajikistan also helps ensure border security. "For us, Tajikistan’s position on regional issues is very important. In this connection, I consider Tajikistan to be the key country that maintains security and stability in the region. As it is known, there our military base here which aims at ensuring Tajikistan’s security as well as the security of the southern borders of Russia," Putin stated. During his visit to Tajikistan, Putin awarded Rahmon with the Alexander Nevsky Order while the country’s Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Aslov received the Order of Friendship. "I would like to thank you once again for everything that you do for boosting Russian-Tajuk relations," Putin said. He added that the two countries were closely cooperating on international level and shared similar positions on many global issues. Read more