MOSCOW, July 29. /ITAR-TASS/. The bilateral relations development and situation in Afghanistan will be discussed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with his Tajikistani counterpart Sirodjidin Aslov. Lavrov will pay an official visit to the country on July 30, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Lavrov will pay a return visit to Tajikistan, as the Tajikistani foreign minister visited Russia in March 2014. At meetings in Dushanbe the parties plan to discuss “the further deepening of strategic partnership, based on mutual trust and respect for the interests of each other and friendship of the two brotherly nations.” Lavrov and Aslov will also exchange views on important international agenda issues, including the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on Central Asian security, as well as on other matters of mutual interest.

The ministers will also analyse the situation in bilateral trade with a view to forming the maximally favourable “climate” for business activity of Russian and Tajikistani companies on the two countries’ markets, as well as will discuss bilateral co-operation in the spheres of science, education, culture, learning of the Russian language in Tajikistan, and labour migration.

Lavrov’s visit to Tajikistan will be held on the eve of a meeting of the foreign ministers of the member states of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe on July 30 - 31.

“Relations between Russia and Tajikistan are characterised by the intensification of co-operation in many spheres,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “The agreements between the two countries’ presidents on the status and terms of deployment of the Russian military base in Tajikistan have come into force. The implementation of the agreements, improving the conditions of registration and labour activity of Tajikistani citizens in Russia has started.”

The Russian ministry said “the above agreements are a tangible result of the visits of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Dushanbe in October 2012, Tajikistani President Emomali Rakhmon to Moscow in July - August 2013, as well as their meeting in Sochi on February 6, 2014.