Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said on Monday his country recognized Iran's right for peaceful uranium enrichment.
"We support the creation of Iran's peaceful uranium enrichment program. All related problems should be resolved by means of peaceful negotiations," Rahmon said after a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is paying an official visit to the Tajik capital, Dushanbe.
Iran, which is already under three sets of United Nations sanctions for refusing to halt uranium enrichment, recently announced plans to build 10 new uranium enrichment facilities. Western powers suspect it of pursuing an atomic weapons program.
The Tajik leader said stable economic cooperation with Iran, Tajikistan's "strategic partner", would contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relations.
The two countries should also cooperate in the energy, transport and agriculture spheres, as well as in the field of communications, he said.
Iranian president described bilateral relations with Tajikistan as "stable and positive."
"Our relations set an example of constructive and productive cooperation," he said.
The Iranian leader said he discussed a range of regional and international issues with his Tajik counterpart, adding there were "coincidence of interests and similar positions" in the two presidents' views.
Iran and Tajikistan agreed to join forces to assure security in the region, he said, adding special attention is to be paid to the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Ahmadinejad is also expected to meet with the speaker of the Tajik parliament's lower house and with Iranian citizens living in Tajikistan during his stay in Dushanbe.
DUSHANBE, January 4 (RIA Novosti)
