DUSHANBE, October 6, Asia-Plus - Tajikistan is of great interest for countries of the European Union (EU) in terms of its geopolitical location, German Ambassador to Tajikistan Gainer Muller remarked at his meeting with journalists in Dushanbe today.  

As it is known, Tajikistan is the country through which routes of transit transportation of Afghan drugs to Russia and further to the European countries lay, the ambassador said, pointing to the necessity of giving a new impulse to expansion of cooperation between the European Union and Tajikistan in order to jointly tackle that problem and ensure the establishment of stability in Afghanistan.  

Muller expressed confidence that putting of the Dashtijum hydroelectric power station on the Panj River could help resolve many problems facing the Afghan people. 

German diplomat also pointed to the necessity of interaction in fighting terrorism and organized crime.   

According to him, Tajikistan is of great interest for the European Union’s countries also as the country being rich in natural resources.  “Europeans as developed nation have always had needs in raw resources,” Muller noted.  

As it had been reported earlier, Muller October 3 remarked that Germany as reliable partner will make its contribution to development of Tajikistan in future as well.  It was noted that during its holding the European Union Council Chairmanship in 2007 Germany will attach a special significance to relations of the European Union with Central Asia’s states, in particular with Tajikistan.  “Germany wants to intensify its relationships with these countries,” said Muller, “In this connection, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will have a tour of the Central Asian countries from October 30 to November 3, and he is expected to visit Tajikistan on November 1.”   

According to the ambassador, a delegation consisting of representatives from German MFA and a group of German entrepreneurs will accompany Steinmeier on his tour of Central Asia.  German entrepreneurs want to consider the possibility of cooperation with their Tajik counterparts and determine priorities and main directions of cooperation with Tajikistan.