DUSHANBE, October 18, 2011, Asia-Plus -- Issues related to the current situation in Afghanistan and further actions of international community in connection with withdrawal of ISAF-troops from Afghanistan were the focus of a meeting of Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi with visiting British Minister of State for International Development Alan Duncan that took place here on October 17, the Tajik MFA information department reports.

The sides declared for the necessity of economic integration of Central Asia’s countries and Afghanistan.  They also touched upon the issue of the upcoming Conference for Security and Cooperation in the Heart of Asia in Istanbul on November 2 and the International Afghanistan Conference in Bonn on December 5.

In the course of the talks, Zarifi appreciated the United Kingdom’s support for development of various sectors of Tajikistan’s economy and noted the importance of giving the Department for International Development (DFID) Office in Tajikistan functions of the Regional Office for Central Asia.

Zarifi and Duncan also discussed a broad range of issues related to bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and the United Kingdom, including support for economic and educational development of Tajikistan and its joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), the source said.