Tajikistan, India step up security ties

Tajikistan and India signed an agreement on Saturday against terror financing and money laundering.

Addressing presspersons, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, who is on a five-day visit to India, said his government would continue to work to stabilise Afghanistan.

In his address to the media, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both countries would deepen their engagement to deal with the threat of terrorism in the neighbourhood.

"India and Tajikistan live in an extended neighbourhood that continues to face multiple security threats and challenges. Combating terrorism is an important area of our cooperative engagements," he said highlighting that peace in Afghanistan was necessary for the region.

"We will intensify our defence and counter-terror cooperation with India and will work to stabilise Afghanistan in our neighbourhood," Mr. Rahmon said.

"We support India's candidature for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and India's bid for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council."

At the end of the bilateral talks held in Hyderabad House here, the Financial Intelligence Unit of India and the Central Asian country signed an agreement to prevent financing of terrorism and money laundering. Both sides also signed agreements on bilateral investment and avoidance of double taxation.

Tajikistan invited India to invest in four free economic zones that have come up in the country and thanked it for the modernisation of the Varzob-1 Hydropower Station.

Mr. Rahmon, who also sought investment in the upcoming small and medium hydroelectricity projects, appreciated the signing of the trilateral Chahbahar port agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan as the project will provide connectivity to Tajikistan.

The two sides indicated that relationship was expected to deepen in 2017, which would mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations.