Iranian Defense Minister General Amir Mohammadreza Ashtiani arrived in Tajikistan. According to the Iranian agency Tasnim , he was met at the airport by Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo and other officials.
Judging by the photo, Ashtiani is accompanied by a large delegation.
According to the Iranian agency, during the trip the Iranian minister is scheduled to meet with Sherali Mirzo.
The purposes of the visit also include a meeting with the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.
Tasnim reports that these meetings are expected to discuss security and defense issues, as well as the development of defense contracts between the two countries.
Previously, the visit of the Iranian military delegation to Tajikistan was not reported. In May 2022, the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Army, Mohammad Bakeri, visited Tajikistan. During the visit, as reported at the time, he and Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo took part in the opening ceremony in Dushanbe of a joint venture for the production of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Ababil-2.
There have been no reports in the past about whether this company has begun production of drones.
Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon at the end of October 2022 accused Tajikistan of Iran “producing drones in the republic, which are then used to kill Ukrainians.”
On October 30, 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan denied Gordon’s allegations in an official statement.
“We emphasize that the Republic of Tajikistan does not export military equipment to third countries. We recommend that Mr. Gordon continue to approach this kind of comments carefully and check the accuracy of the information being disseminated,” the Tajik Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Source : CentralAsia
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