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Senior U.S. diplomat meets with Tajikistan president

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DUSHANBE, October 6 (RIA Novosti) - One of America's most senior diplomats met with the president of Tajikistan Friday to discuss cooperation between the two countries.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Richard Boucher, who is in charge of the State Department's relations with South and Central Asian countries, met in Tajikistan with President Emomali Rakhmonov and Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation ahead of the November 6 presidential elections in the Central Asian republic.

Rakhmonov became president in 1994, though he has been in power since 1992, and is seeking reelection for another seven-year term.

Boucher said he had discussed the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking among other issues and praised the level of cooperation, particularly in the fight against drug trafficking. The narcotics trade is an acute problem for Tajikistan, one of the poorest ex-Soviet republics, because it borders on Afghanistan, the world's leading supplier of illegal drugs.

Boucher said Afghanistan was another issue at the talks with the president and they both agreed that the troubled country should be used as a transit channel to develop trade in and the economies of countries in the Central Asian region.

The U.S. diplomat also said that the next presidential election in Tajikistan should be a step forward in observance of all international norms and regulations, which would help in forming democratic institutions and enhancing the government's stability.

Boucher leaves Tajikistan on October 7. This is his second visit to the country in 2006.

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