Iran's Ahmadinejad to sign cooperation deals with Tajikistan

RIA Novosti:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will sign five cooperation agreements with Tajikistan's leadership during a two-day visit next week, Iran's ambassador to the Central Asian nation said Friday. READ MORE

Nasser Sarmadi-Parsa said the accords aimed to expand bilateral cooperation in areas such as energy, transport, science and culture.

Ahmadinejad, accompanied by the ministers of trade, foreign affairs, energy and transport, will arrive in Tajikistan on July 25 from neighboring Turkmenistan, the ambassador said.

He said the president would hold talks with top officials of the Tajik government and attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a tunnel built by an Iranian construction firm and with Iranian investment. New projects to involve Iranian capital may also be discussed.

The hard-line Iranian leader's Central Asian tour comes amid growing international tension over Tehran's controversial nuclear program and apparently aims to improve ties with neighboring states in the face of possible UN economic sanctions.