DUSHANBE, December 21. /TASS/: President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and President of Russia Vladimir Putin held a meeting where they stressed the need to strengthen defense of the Tajik-Afghan border. The meeting was held in St. Petersburg on the sidelines of an extraordinary meeting of the heads of state of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), press service of the leader of Tajikistan said on Saturday.
Rahmon and Putin discussed "a number of issues of strategic cooperation between the two countries, as well as specific issues of the international and regional situation," the statement said. According to the press service, the parties "emphasized the need to strengthen border protection between Tajikistan and Afghanistan in the light of the alarming situation in Afghanistan."
The report notes that the leaders also discussed the issues of equipping the Tajik army with modern military equipment and technology in accordance with the adopted programs. In addition, according to the press service, the presidents of Tajikistan and Russia discussed issues related to labor migration.
Rakhmon arrived in St. Petersburg to participate in an extraordinary meeting of the heads of state of the CIS member states, which was held on December 20. At the meeting, the current situation and prospects of interstate integration within the framework of the commonwealth were discussed, including plans for further development and strengthening of security in the territory of the CIS countries.