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Medvedev to meet with Tajik, Afghan and Pakistani leaders

© POOL / Go to the mediabankRussian President Dmitry Medvedev
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev - Sputnik International
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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will arrive in Dushanbe on a two-day working visit on Thursday to meet with his counterparts from Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

MOSCOW, July 30 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will arrive in Dushanbe on a two-day working visit on Thursday to meet with his counterparts from Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The four leaders are due to hold talks on Thursday on the regional situation and are expected to adopt a joint statement during the meeting.

"We do not expect any breakthrough [during the meeting], because the most important thing for Pakistan and Afghanistan is to maintain contacts," Russian presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said, adding that such contacts were necessary to ensure stability in the region.

"Separating the situation in Afghanistan from that in Pakistan should not be considered," he added.

Prikhodko reiterated that Moscow had no plans to participate in the international military operation in Afghanistan, although Russia and the U.S. have signed an agreement on U.S. military transits via Russia to Afghanistan. He added that Russia was ready to help contribute to infrastructure projects in the impoverished country.

Medvedev is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon to discuss economic, trade and military cooperation, as well as regional organizations, such as the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The sides will also discuss Rakhmon's upcoming visit to Moscow this fall.

Drug trafficking via the territory of Tajikistan is also expected to be discussed at the meeting. According to estimates by Russia's special services, about 90% of heroin consumed in Russia is trafficked to the country from Afghanistan via ex-Soviet states, mostly Central Asian countries.

The sides will also touch upon a recent draft law proposed by the Tajik president on banning the Russian language from being used in public institutions and official documents. The new law obliges all nationals to understand Tajik and speak it in official situations and public workplaces.

Under the 1989 legislation Tajik is defined as the official language and Russian as a language of "interethnic communication," which gave the latter a de facto official status allowing people to use it in official settings, and receive information and documents in either Tajik or Russian.

The Russian leader is also expected to hold talks with Afghani President Hamid Karzai on anti-drug trafficking and counter-terrorism measures. He may also meet with the Pakistani leader Asif Ali Zardari.

On Friday afternoon Medvedev will arrive at Kyrgyzstan to attend an informal CSTO summit in the resort town of Cholpon-Ata.

 

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