Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has asked the Turkish authorities to extradite criminal hiding in Turkey.

A broad range of issues related to state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Turkey was discussed here on October 21 during a meeting of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Tajik president’s official website said.

Rahmon, in particular, noted that Tajikistan’s attached significance to cooperation with Turkey.  “This issue is one of priorities of Tajikistan’s foreign policy,” President Rahmon noted.

In the course of the talks, Tajik leader reportedly pointed to the necessity of expanding cooperation in combating terrorism and extremism.  

At the same time, he noted that “Tajikistan does not accept the so-called double standards in the fight against terrorism and extremism.”  

Thereupon, Rahmon called on the Turkish authorities to extradite Tajik nationals, who are suspected of terrorism and currently hiding in Turkey, according to the president’s website.   

Tajik leader also proposed to improve coordination of actions of relevant structures of the two countries on detaining Tajik nationals trying to travel to warring nations of the Middle East via Turkey.

Rahmon noted that Tajikistan was interested in expanding bilateral cooperation with Turkey in the fields of hydropower, industry, and investment.

To-date, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and Turkey has reportedly valued at 200 million U.S. dollars.

Friday morning, Mevlut Cavusoglu also held talks with his Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Aslov.  The ministers signed the program of cooperation between the foreign ministries of Tajikistan and Turkey designed for 2017-2020.  

Mevlut Cavusoglu reportedly arrived in Dushanbe on Friday on a one-day working visit.   

Mevlut Cavusoglu (born February 5, 1968) is a Turkish politician who has been Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey since November 24, 2015; previously he was Minister of Foreign Affairs from August 2014 to August 2015.  He is also a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, where he represents Antalya Province.  First elected to Parliament in the 2002 general election, he is a founding member of the Justice and Development Party (AKP).  He was the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 2010 to 2012.