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President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon: Mr Putin,

Welcome to Tajikistan. It is gratifying to know that our relations are driven by positive dynamics, and we maintain an extensive political dialogue. Trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian ties are making great strides with trade up and humanitarian projects underway. We closely interact in security matters and in the international arena. I am ready to discuss these and other bilateral, international and regional matters with you today.

Once again, welcome. We are genuinely pleased to see you in Dushanbe.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Rahmon,

I would like to begin by thanking you for inviting me to come to Tajikistan on a state visit.

All of that has a ceremonial, protocol side to it, but the essence and substance of our relations fully correspond to their external form.

We are fulfilling every agreement and fundamental objective laid out in the 1993 Treaty of Friendship. Indeed, and I fully concur with you, our relations are following a very positive path across all areas which you just mentioned.

Our trade and economic ties are advancing at a good pace. Last year, trade grew by over 7 percent and in the first seven months of this year it increased by more than 17 percent. This is a commendable dynamic, and we should certainly keep it that way.

We have planned a number of important steps for this visit. We will issue a substantive rather than merely declarative joint statement filled with specific content. We will define our future course across all areas and outline specific plans. We will undoubtedly have it done, as our respective teams have thoroughly prepared this meeting.

We are relentlessly addressing matters of security and defence, especially given the complex situation in the region. We are reliable allies, and Russia deeply values this alliance and will, without a doubt, fulfill all its allied commitments.

In the humanitarian sphere, I would like to especially thank you for your focus on Russian culture and the Russian language. Together, we have opened several – five, I believe – schools, all of which are functioning effectively. We will certainly discuss this as well. Students from Tajikistan are studying at the Russian universities, and branch campuses are operating here. We will continue to focus on this area of cooperation.

In case of difficulties, we will, if needed, look into them at our level and arrange things to ensure the steady development of Russia-Tajikistan relations across all critical areas.

Thank you very much.

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