President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Rahmon, I am delighted to see you.
We have a good reason, namely, two anniversaries, that of the Collective Security Treaty itself and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation that was established on the basis of the treaty.
And, of course, this is a very good reason for discussing the situation regarding our bilateral relations. I am very happy to note that Russia remains the main trade and economic partner of Tajikistan in terms of trade volumes.
Last year, bilateral trade soared by an impressive amount, nearly 45 percent, as well as by over 70 percent in the first three months of 2022. We need to maintain this good trend. This can be explained by reasons, linked with the current situation, but everything shows a continuing need for our relationship and that it is developing most actively.
Of course, you and I recently spoke on the telephone about the regional situation, which remains complicated. I am most interested in learning your opinion as to what should be done in the near future in order to strengthen our security in this direction.
I am delighted to see you, welcome.
President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon: Mr Putin,
First of all, I would like to thank you once again. Thank you very much for your invitation. Today’s meeting and the CSTO’s anniversary is a good opportunity to discuss bilateral matters with you.
Mr Putin, today, I would particularly like to discuss the implementation of a programme to modernise our armed forces and the situation on the Tajik-Afghan border. I am also ready to exchange opinions on topical international and regional matters.
Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: Thank you.
<…>