MOSCOW. April 17 (Interfax) - Tajikistan will continue providing every kind of assistance needed for the operation of a Russian military base in that country, which is an important factor in ensuring security in the region.
"The Tajik side will continue providing the necessary aid to implement the Russian-Tajik agreement on the status and conditions of the deployment of the Russian military base dated October 5, 2012," Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a joint statement issued following the talks in the Kremlin on Wednesday.
This military base is one of the most important elements for ensuring regional security, Rahmon said.
The two leaders called for enhancing cooperation on the Afghan track in various formats and on further coordination of efforts to counter security threats coming from the south to the CIS countries.
Russia and Tajikistan also welcomed the next meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) - Afghanistan Contact Group, which is due to be held in Bishkek on April 18-19, the statement said.
The 201st military base, which is deployed in Tajikistan, is the largest Russian military facility abroad. It is stationed in two cities: Dushanbe and Bokhtar. According to the agreement signed in October 2012, the formation will be deployed in Tajikistan until 2042.