Turkmen, Tajik Presidents Meet With Iranian President

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad greets his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon in Tehran last year for Norouz.

The presidents of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan have held separate talks with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad in Tehran.

Ahmadinejad told Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon that Iran would help complete Tajikistan's Sangtuda-2 hydropower plant this year.

Rahmon said he hoped Sangtuda-2 would start supplying electricity to Tajikistan before the country marks the 20th anniversary of independence later this year.

Ahmadinejad spoke with Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov about strengthening ties. He also presented the Turkmen president with a two-seater airplane.

Berdymukhammedov also took advantage of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's presence in Tehran to meet with Karzai and discuss the proposed TAPI natural-gas pipeline project that would bring Turkmen gas through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India, avoiding Iranian territory.

The Tajik, Turkmen, and Afghan presidents were invited to Iran to participate in the Norouz holiday celebrations there.

compiled from agency reports