Visiting Tajik Parliament Speaker Saidullo Khairullayev conferred here Sunday with Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on expansion of mutual relations as well as regional cooperation, the Iranian national news agency "IRNA" reported. According to the Information and Press Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the meeting, Mottaki expressed satisfaction over the peaceful solution to Tajikistan's internal disputes which led to the termination of civil war and said the two countries enjoy common interests and concerns. Iran and Tajikistan have adopted a joint stance on many international issues, he pointed out. Given the historical and cultural commonalties, he said as stated by the president, the Iranian government is to study and remove existing barriers to expansion of mutual relations. Highlighting the importance of regional cooperation on the basis of ECO agreements, he said expansion of mutual cooperation under ECO could lead to further expansion of economic relations resulting in the restoration of stability in the region. Anzab tunnel, which is scheduled to be inaugurated in the next Iranian year (starts March 2006), is among the joint ventures between Iran and Tajikistan, he said and informed Tajik parliament speaker of the latest stands taken by the Islamic Republic of Iran on peaceful use of nuclear technology. Referring to the rights and duties of NPT's signatories, he described their observance of obligations while being deprived of their legitimate rights as 'apartheid'. Tajik parliament speaker, for his part, lauded Iran's move for further expansion of all-out relations between the two countries and said, "We are to benefit from Iran's experiences in parliamentary affairs." News about Iran's successes are very satisfactory, he said adding that expansion of industrial, development and economic cooperation would pave the way for expansion of cultural ties between the two sides. Resolving Iran's nuclear dossier peacefully is the only solution to the issue, he said lauding Iran's positive role in restoration of peace and security in war-shattered Afghanistan.
