KABUL - Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah on Monday held talks with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon on bilateral cooperation, the Tajikistan Presidency reported.

It quoted Rahmon as saying Tajikistan had always supported and would support its relations with the friendly and brotherly country Afghanistan.

He said relations between the two countries were of special importance in the region.

For his part, Abdullah said Tajikistan was a priority of Afghanistan's foreign policy, saying it was his first foreign trip after taking office in late September.

The two leaders noted cooperation between the two countries was intensifying with implementation of projects for construction of bridges across the Panj River border, CASA-1000 and construction of the railway connecting Tajikistan and Turkmenistan through Afghanistan.

They also discussed the gas pipeline, railroad from China though Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan to Iran, and other regional projects.

Abdullah arrived in Tajikistan a day earlier. He will take part in the International Water Conference in Dushanbe on June 9-11.

Meanwhile, Dushanbe-based Asia-Plus new agency reported that the visiting Afghanistan CEO met with Tajikistan Prime Minister Qohir Rasoulzoda.

The two discussed prospects of further expansion in bilateral cooperation, the agency quoted Subhiddin Muhiddinov, a senior consultant at the Tajik president’s press center as saying.

Expansion of economic cooperation between the two countries was reportedly a major topic of the meeting.

The two, in particular, discussed a broad range of issues related to development of cross-border trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, cargo transit and customs cooperation.

The Tajik PM and the Afghanistan’s CEO also signed a joint statement on prospects of cooperation between the two countries.

Besides, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Aslov and his Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani signed a protocol on cooperation between the Foreign Ministries of Tajikistan and Afghanistan in the presence of Rasoulzoda and Dr. Abdullah. (Pajhwok)