Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, who is currently on an official visit to Tajikistan, discussed investment opportunities with his Tajik counterpart Hamrokhon Zarifi, Asia Plus reported.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, Iranian involvement in large-scale projects such as the Sangtuda-2 hydroelectric power plant (HPP), the Istiqlol Tunnel and the project for the construction of a new railway link connecting Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China were discussed at Zarifi's meeting with Ali Akbar Salehi.
The Tajik minister, particularly stressed the necessity of increasing two-way trade between Tajikistan and Iran and attraction of Iranian investments for development of small and medium-sized entrepreneurship in Tajikistan, as well as expansion of technical cooperation in the field of agriculture, the source said.
Meanwhile, Iran's news agency IRNA reports that at the meeting with Hamrokhon Zarifi the Iranian minister voiced Tehran's readiness to help Dushanbe broaden its transit roads.
Salehi recalled a statement by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in which the Ayatollah referred to Iranian-Tajiki ties with a special term.
The Supreme Leader referred to Tehran-Dushanbe ties as "a family relation", since the two capitals enjoyed common languages, religions and cultural commonalities, Salehi said. He added that the Supreme Leader had said that Iran and Tajikistan were like different parts of a single tree. The Iranian minister reportedly added that the Supreme Leader had never referred to any country in a similar way before.
