DUSHANBE, June 15, 2016, Asia-Plus – Tajik President Emomali Rahmon today received Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

According to the Tajik president’s official website, the two sides discussed state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and the United States, especially cooperation between the countries in providing regional security and stability.

“Tajikistan considers that cooperation with the United States in the field of security is an important factor of stability in the region, especially in Afghanistan.” Rahmon noted during the meeting.

U.S. general, for his part, reportedly highly appraised Tajikistan’s role in combating terrorism and extremism and stressed that further expansion of cooperation between the two countries would facilitate strengthening of the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.              

The two sides also discussed issues related to expansion of cooperation between the two countries on strengthening border security of Tajikistan, training of military personnel for Tajik national army, strengthening of Tajikistan’s potential to address international challenges and threats, the Tajik president’s website said.

Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), will arrive in Dushanbe on June 14 for a two-day visit, according to the Tajik MFA information department.

Joseph Leonard Votel is a four-star general in the United States Army who currently serves as commander of United States Central Command.  Before that, he served as commander of United States Special Operations Command.

The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command of the U.S. Department of Defense, established in 1983, taking over the 1980 Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) responsibilities.

The CENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR) includes countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, most notably Afghanistan and Iraq.