ISLAMABAD – Tajik President Emomali Rahman will arrive here today on a three-day state visit to hold talks with the Pakistani leadership to further strengthen bilateral ties. The Tajik president will meet President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and is likely to discuss cooperation in hydropower, investment, medicine, education, transport and communication, trade, tourism besides ways to jointly combat international terrorism. The two sides would explore the economic potential for further diversification of their bilateral ties. A welcome ceremony will be held at the President House, to be followed by talks.
President Zardari will also host a banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary. President Emomali will also visit Karachi. He will be accompanied by a business delegation that will also interact with Pakistani counterparts to explore cooperation between their private sectors. The visit of Tajik President follows the visits of President Asif Ali Zardari in 2009 and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in 2010 to Dushanbe. According to a diplomatic source, Pakistan and Tajikistan are likely to pursue a trilateral trade agreement with Afghanistan.
The two sides will also discuss initiation of a direct flight between the two countries to boost trade and people-to-people contacts between the two countries.
