Tajikistan Foreign Minister Aslov Sirodjidin Muhridinovich said the visit of Md Shahriar Alam would “reinvigorate” the current bilateral relations and help to find out new avenues of cooperation.

Both of them discussed various agreements which could be signed and implemented soon. Those include the forming joint commission and visa waiver agreement.

They also stressed on exchanging information and experiences among the garments manufactures and export of Tajik cotton and other agricultural products, development of pharmaceutical products using rich Tajik resources and development of tourism.

Alam recollected his last visit to Dushanbe and the interactions between the Prime Minister and the Tajik President over the vital issue of global water.

He briefed him about the recent development achievements and activities of the government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the graduation eligibility from the LDC status.

He also briefed him on the development and the actions taken by Bangladesh for Rohingyas from Myanmar.

They also discussed the OIC issues and the ways to make this organisation more efficient and successful.

Tajik foreign minister praised Bangladesh’s gestures towards Rohingyas.

He also praised Bangladesh’s leadership in various international fora and requested for the continued support of Bangladesh in various efforts of Tajikistan.

The State Minister assured him of Bangladesh’s help to Tajikistan in all regional and global fora. </s> JEDDAH: Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Mohammed Salih Bentin received Sergey Kozlov, the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Russia to Saudi Arabia, at his office in Jeddah on Thursday.

During the meeting, they exchanged cordial talks and topics related to Hajj, the Saudi Press agency reported.

For his part, the ambassador praised the efforts and services provided by the Kingdom to the pilgrims. </s> Baku. 29 November. REPORT.AZ/ Azerbaijan is ready to take part in meeting of foreign ministers in the format of "3+2" within the OSCE Ministerial Council in Hamburg".

Report informs, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said commenting on the possible meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Hamburg.

23rd meeting of the Council of Minister of Foreign Affairs (CMFA) of the OSCE will be held on December 8-9 in Hamburg. </s> Accompanied by a political entourage, Zarif is due to attend the 23rd ECO Ministerial Meeting in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, announced Bahram Qassemi.

The Iranian foreign minister will also hold talks with senior Tajik officials and discuss ways to expand mutual cooperation, he added.

This is the second visit of Zarif to Tajikistan within the past few months.

In November 2017, the Iranian top diplomat visited the central Asian country as the first of its kind in the past couple of years.

Relations between the two countries took a nosedive in late December 2015 on the issue of the Islamic Movement of Tajikistan. While the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) was considered by the Tajik government as a banned party, its leader Muhiddin Kabiri, who lives in exile, was invited to an international conference in Tehran, and this outraged the Central Asian state.

Tajik authorities said despite the fact that Kabiri was accused of organizing riots in September 2015, Iran invited him to the International Conference of Islamic Unity while he was seated next to the head of Tajikistan’s state-backed Council of Islamic Ulema and other members of the official delegation from Tajikistan.

Meanwhile, informed sources say the tension between the two countries goes back to earlier times and is in connection with the assets of Babak Zanjani, the Iranian billionaire who is in jail and was earlier sentenced to death.

Many believe Zarif’s visits to Dushanbe could be a serious step to mend Iran-Tajikistan ties. </s> External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday arrived here on a three-day visit to Azerbaijan during which she will hold talks with top leadership of the country and attend a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement. “Welcome with flowers! EAM @SushmaSwaraj arrives in Baku to a warm welcome on her first visit to Azerbaijan. India and Azerbaijan share warm and friendly relations based on civilisational and cultural ties,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

This is also the first-ever bilateral visit of an Indian External Affairs Minister to Azerbaijan, reports PTI. During her visit, Swaraj will hold talks with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and call on President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva. A range of issues, including ways to boost bilateral cooperation between India and Azerbaijan, are expected to be discussed during her talks with leadership of that country.

READ: Why is Sushma Swaraj going to Azerbaijan’s capital Baku today?

Swaraj will also represent India at the mid-term ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which will take place on April 5 and 6 in Baku. “As a founding member of NAM, India remains committed to the purposes and principles of the Movement,” Kumar said. “The External Affairs Minister’s participation in the NAM Ministerial Meeting will underline India’s continued active and constructive engagement within the movement with a view to further strengthen solidarity and cooperation among its member states,” the Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said.

Bilateral ties between India and Azerbaijan have grown in many areas, including energy, transportation, and capacity building. India’s ONGC-Videsh is an investor in ACG oil fields and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> Baku. 30 November. REPORT.AZ/ Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Minister of State for External Affairs of India Mobashar Javed Akbar, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan to participate in the VII Ministerial Conference to be held in Baku within the framework of the "Heart of Asia" - Istanbul Process, Report informs.

It was noted that the year of 2017 is marked by the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and India, and in this regard, the importance of exchanging mutual high-level visits for promoting bilateral political relations, as well as continuation of the mechanism of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs was emphasized.



They also exchanged views on cooperation within international and regional organizations.



Minister Elmar Mammadyarov informed the guest about the latest status of the negotiation process on the settlement of Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and stated that the conflict should be solved only within the territorial integrity, sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan on the basis of the UN Security Council resolutions.



Stressing the need for expanding bilateral economic relations, the sides noted good opportunities for cooperation in investment, information technology, energy, agriculture, construction, pharmacy and other spheres. In this regard, the activity of Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Republic of India was particularly emphasized.



It was also stressed that joining of India to the North-South transport corridor would give impetus to the strengthening of economic cooperation between the two countries. In this regard, the importance of the meetings of the Coordinating Council on the project was highlighted.



At the meeting, sides commended "The Heart of Asia" - the Istanbul Process as an important platform for strengthening regional dialogue and building trust. </s> ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is in Kabul to attend tripartite talks between Pakistan, China and Afghanistan aimed at finding a solution to sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

A Pakistani delegation led by the minister left for the Afghan capital on Sunday morning for the talks that would take place in three phases.

According to Geo News, Afghanistan's political situation and reconciliation process with Taliban, regional cooperation and security would also come under discussion during the talks.

Foreign ministers of three countries are scheduled to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, with Shah Mehmood Qureshi due to hold a separate meeting his Chinese counterpart.

Before leaving for Kabul, Qureshi said the opening of tripartite negotiations was a welcome sign as both Pakistan and China desire peace and stability and betterment in Afghanistan.

It is the second round of the foreign minister level talks that follow the first one that took place in Beijing last year. </s> A delegation of the European Union, headed by Vice-President of the European Commission, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, will visit Uzbekistan on March 26, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan said in a message. </s> Minister of the Office of State Counselor of Myanmar Kyaw Tint Swe arrives in the capital tonight to discuss the Rohingya issue with Bangladesh authorities.

State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is sending the minister as her representative to Dhaka for discussing the Rohingya issue with Bangladesh government amid growing international pressure on Myanmar following exodus of over five lakhs of its nationals in Bangladesh.

During his visit, the Myanmar minister will hold meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali tomorrow.

The Myanmar minister will not visit Cox’s Bazar to see the plight of Rohingya people, who were forcibly displaced by Myanmar government, although Dhaka earlier made a request to Naypyidaw in this regard.

Over half a million Rohingyas have taken shelter in Bangladesh since Aug 25 when the military crackdown began in the northern Rakhine State over alleged terrorist attacks on security outposts.

International pressure has been mounted on Myanmar for violence against Rohingya people in Rakhine state where another 250,000 faced the risk of displacement.
Tajikistan foreign minister Sirodjidin Aslov meets with Bangladesh State Minister of Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam.