Iran's FM, Tajik President stress expansion of bilateral relations

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon underlined the need for the further expansion of bilateral ties and mutual cooperation between Tehran and Dushanbe.They made the remarks in a meeting on the sidelines of the 11th ministerial meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe on Friday.Salehi and Rahmon pointed to Iran-Tajikistan religious and cultural commonalities, and called for bolstering and reinvigoration of bilateral ties in all fields.The 11th ACD ministerial meeting was held in Dushanbe on Friday.The Iranian foreign minister attended the event at the official invitation of his Tajik counterpart Hamrokhon Zarifi.Established in 2002, the ACD seeks to promote Asian cooperation at a continental level and to help integrate separate regional cooperation organizations.The ACD also aims to consolidate Asian strengths and fortify the continent's competitiveness by maximizing its diversity and rich resources.The body was originally founded by 18 members. Since October 2012, the organization consists of 32 states. Iran joined the ACD on June 21, 2004.Iran and Tajikistan have recently accelerated expansion of their ties and cooperation and observers believe that the good achievements gained in area of their mutual cooperation should be deemed as a result of the efforts made by the two countries' officials.