Meeting with Valentin Orlov, commander of the 201st Division of the Russian Defence Ministry, and Alexander Markin, commander of Russia\'s Federal Border Service border guard group.
In an opening address, the president said Russian military presence in Tajikistan was essential for the preservation of the achievements of Tajik internal conflict settlement. A great deal of work still remained to be done before Tajikistan finally acquired a political balance, Mr Putin remarked.