30 April 2004 01:51
Tajik border guards to replace Russians on Tajik-Afghan border
DUSHANBE. April 30 (Interfax) - The Russian border guards protecting the Tajik-Afghan border will gradually be
replaced by their Tajik colleagues, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov said on Friday.
"The Russians are already gradually transferring the border protection functions to the Tajik border
guards," Rakhmonov said in his annual address to the Tajik parliament.
"We are currently guarding 577 km of the 2,912 km of the border," he said.
Russian border guards "played a tremendous role in the protection of the state border of Tajikistan,"
Rakhmonov said. He expressed hope that cooperation with the Tajik border guard troops will continue working with their
Russian colleagues after all of the Russian border guards have been replaced.
This year, Russian border guards will be replaced with their Tajik colleagues on the Khorog, Ishkashim, and
Kalai-Khumb sections of the Tajik-Afghan border. The Russians will continue guarding the most difficult parts of the
border, which are currently the area of responsibility of the Moscow and Pyandzh border guard troops. [TJ RU EEU EUROPE
ASIA EMRG DIP VIO] av tj <>
[Interfax] |
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