Wednesday, June 27, 2012 -
India’s top diplomat is heading to Tajikistan next week to buttress relations with the Central Asian republic and to share views on current regional affairs, the New Delhi government said Tuesday.
External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna will arrive in Dushanbe the Tajik capital July 2 to kick off his two-day visit.
“The External Affairs Minister is expected to hold comprehensive discussions with his Tajik counterpart and the Tajikistan leadership on India-Tajik bilateral relations and on the situation in the region,” said MEA’s official spokesman, the Indianexpress.com news agency reported.
New Delhi hopes the visit will scale up India’s economic, energy, and strategic relations with Tajikistan and a host of other former Soviet republics.
The official will also hold a tete-e-tete with Indian heads of mission of 11 countries in the Eurasian region.
The regional conference will include Indian ambassadors from the five Central Asian republics – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan – along with those of Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Armenia, and Georgia.
Indian officials earlier this month announced their ‘Connect Central Asia’ initiative, a 12-point roadmap on pro-active political, economic, and civic collaboration with countries of the region, according to the IANS news agency.
India has been interested in setting up an air base in Tajikistan, but plans for this have fallen through.