Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) Speaker Mahmadtoir Zokirzoda yesterday received Afghan Ambassador to Tajikistan Mohammad Zahir Agbar.

Tajik parliament speaker, in particular, noted that providing regional security and stability in Central Asia depends, first all, on establishing peace and stability in Afghanistan and creating favorable conditions for its peaceful development, Muhammadato Sultonov, a spokesman for the Majlisi Namoyandagon, told Asia-Plus in an interview.

Collaboration with Afghanistan is one priorities of foreign policy of Tajikistan, Zokirzoda noted.

He reportedly also noted that Tajikistan, as a friendly neighbor of Afghanistan, seeks to further expand trade and economic cooperation with it, including cooperation between border areas of the two countries.

In this context, development of the bilateral trade is of particular importance, Zokirzoda said, noting that Tajikistan intends to double the volume of trade with Afghanistan, irrespective of external factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Tajik parliament speaker noted that that currently, more than 500 Afghan students study at Tajik universities.  Over the past decade, more than 1,500 Afghans, including more than 100 Afghan women, have graduated from various universities in Tajikistan and earned their degree, Zokirzoda said.

In the course of the talks, the two reportedly exchanged views on issues related to the bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan in the fields of energy, transportation, culture and expansion of cooperation between border areas.

They also discussed issues of expansion of inter-parliamentary cooperation between the two countries, Sultonov said.