DUSHANBE, May 12, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Tajik Ambassador to Ukraine Shuhrat Sultonov met with Ukrainian MPs on May 10 to discuss cooperation issues, the Tajik MFA information department reported.

His meeting with Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament), focused on inter-parliamentary cooperation between Tajikistan and Ukraine, intensification of activity of Tajik-Ukrainian joint commission for trade and economic cooperation, and increase in the number of seats at Ukrainian universities for Tajik students.

On the same day, Sultonov met with Pavel Ungaryan, Head of the Ukraine-Tajikistan Inter-Parliamentary Group within the Verkhovna Rada.  The two reportedly discussed issues related to establishment and expansion of inter-parliamentary cooperation between Tajikistan and Ukraine.

The Ukraine-Tajikistan Inter-Parliamentary Group within the Verkhovna Rada was established at the end of 2010 and the Tajikistan-Ukraine Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group within the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) was established at the beginning of this year.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Supreme Council of Ukraine) is Ukraine''s parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman (speaker).