Iranian president visits Tajikistan

Tajikistan's president says his country supports Iran's plan for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. He made the comment as his Iranian counterpart began an official visit to Tajikistan on Monday.

President Emomali Rakhmon held a welcoming ceremony with honor guards outside the presidential palace in the capital Dushanbe. He then held talks with the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The two presidents discussed a wide range of issues, including economic cooperation. They also talked about nuclear issues and the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The talks were followed by a ceremony where the presidents and officials signed a number of agreements on cooperation in the fields of energy, transport, agriculture, tourism, mining and dam construction.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,  seen here, visited the Central Asian  republic of Tajikistan on his first  international trip since a crackdown  on opposition supporters in Tehran left  at least eight dead. (AFP/File/Behrouz Mehri)