New European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell met with Tajikistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojiddin Muhriddin on Wednesday for bilateral talks that focused on improving relations between the EU and Tajikistan, as well as human rights and security issues in the region, a press release stated
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th December, 2019) New European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell met with Tajikistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojiddin Muhriddin on Wednesday for bilateral talks that focused on improving relations between the EU and Tajikistan, as well as human rights and security issues in the region, a press release stated."High Representative Borrell and Minister Muhriddin discussed ways to upgrade EU-Tajikistan bilateral relations, building on the EU's new Central Asia Strategy, which was adopted in June 2019. They also reviewed the progress of economic reforms in Tajikistan, as well as human rights issues and the rule of law," a European External Action Service press release read.
Borrell stated that Dushanbe's cooperation over human rights issues were essential for Tajikistan's ambition to benefit from the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus, an EU trade agreement, and also ahead of next year's parliamentary and presidential elections in Tajikistan.
According to the press release, Borrell and Muhriddin also discussed regional issues, including water security and issues relating to terrorism, in the wake of a deadly attack on a border post by militants.
On November 6, Islamic State (terrorist group banned in Russia) terrorists, reportedly from the Kunduz region of Afghanistan, attacked an outpost of the Sultonobod border guard detachment on the Tajikistan-Uzbekistan border. Tajik security forces thwarted the attack and killed 15 militants in the ensuing firefight, while five more were detained. Two Tajik security officers were killed during the operation.
