Tajik, Afghan and Pakistani leaders discuss economic coop, security

DUSHANBE, September 2 (Itar-Tass) - Presidents of Tajikistan,
Afghanistan and Pakistan have called for stronger and deeper tripartite
cooperation in economy and regional security, the Tajik leader's press
service said on Friday.
Emomali Rakhmon, Hamid Karzai and Asif Ali Zardari met late on
Thursday ahead of the summit of the Dushanbe Four, where Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev will take part as well.
Speaking about the Tajik-Afghan relations Rakhmon and Karzai paid
"special attention to the implementation of agreements concerning
unification of energy and transport systems," the press service said.
The two leaders underlined that over the past five years the bilateral
trade increased twenty-fold after several ferry links were opened across
the Pyandzh River.
They also stressed the need for the soonest possible completion of the
construction of Sangtuda-Kunduz-Puli-Khumri power transmission lines.
Rakhmon and Karzai expressed their common opinion on the need to step
up bilateral cooperation in border security, the fight against terrorism
and drug trafficking following the announced withdrawal of the
international coalition forces from Afghanistan.
This theme also was high on the agenda at the talks of the Tajik and
Pakistani leaders.
The three countries' presidents also focused their intention on the
agenda of the upcoming summit of the Dushanbe Four expressing confidence
that "it will be a big step towards boosting joint economic cooperation
and drafting a concrete plan of actions in ensuring security in the
region," the press service said.