DUSHANBE. June 7. “Asia-Plus” -- Last weekend Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrohon Zarifi handed a note to Russian Ambassador to Tajikistan Yuri Popov, Tajik Foreign Ministry told the AP.

According to the source, during the conversation Mr. Zarifi told Russian Ambassador Popov about Tajikistan’s reaction to tendentious statements and negative opinion of a series of Russian officials about Tajikistan, namely the statement by Vice Speaker of the Russian State Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky and head of the Russian Consumer Control Service Gennady Onishenko published in Russian newspapers and websites.

“Tajik Foreign Minister noted that the decision of the Russian Federal Service on Protection of Consumers’ Rights to ban import of dried fruits from Tajikistan to Russia has already caused severe damage to the population of the country, especially to the population of Sughd district. Taking into account this information, a request was made to revise an opportunity to cancel the ban on import of dried fruits from Tajikistan,” the source has said.

Zarifi and Popov have also discussed a series of pressing issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.