DUSAHNBE, February 7, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- On Friday February 6, the US Ambassador to Tajikistan, Ms. Tracey Ann Jacobson, had a wide ranging discussion with president Rahmon that included regional issues.

According to the US Embassy in Dushanbe, President Rahmon once again expressed Tajikistan’s readiness to support the transit of commercial goods to Afghanistan through Tajikistan.

During her meeting with journalists, Ambassador Jacobson noted that a delegation would come to Dushanbe shortly from the U.S. Transportation Command to discuss the issue further with Tajik counterparts.  Ambassador Jacobson noted that the discussions only involve ground transit of commercial goods – by truck or railroad.

In response to a journalist’s question about future military cooperation, Ambassador Jacobson enumerated a list of items, including joint training, conferences, and infrastructure development, including a training facility in Tursunzoda. This training facility will be available for all Tajik security services.

The Ambassador and President Rahmon did not discuss any basing issues.  The U.S. government is grateful for Tajikistan’s contributions to the stabilization of Afghanistan, including overflight rights and more recently, a willingness to support transit of commercial goods through Tajik territory.