India, Tajikistan Sign Joint DeclarationIndia and Tajikistan on Thursday signed a joint declaration to give a major thrust to bilateral ties and inked five agreements including one on combating drug trafficking and another for enhanced economic cooperation.The Joint Declaration on Principles of Mutual Relations, signed by visiting Tajikistan President Emomali Sharifovich Rakhmonov and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee here, charts out the future course of intensified cooperation between the two countries in diversified fields, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. Vajpayee and Rakhmonov, who arrived here on Wednesday on a three-day visit, held one-on-one talks which were followed by delegation level parleys on the entire gamut of bilateral ties as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern, said the PTI. During the talks, Vajpayee conveyed to Rakhmonov that India would offer a grant of five million U.S. dollars to drought-hit Tajikistan to enable the latter to buy Indian goods and services for the stipulated amount, the PTI added. Indian Home Minister L K Advani and Tajik Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov signed a Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, which paved the way for jointly tackling the menace of terrorism, the PTI noted. Indian Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and Tajik Minister for Trade and Economy Hakim Soliev concluded an agreement for Mutual Cooperation for Drug Demand Reduction and Prevention of Illicit Trafficking of Narcotics Drugs, Precursors and Psychotropic Substances and related matters. |
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