BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 21. Tajikistan and Iraq discussed expanding cooperation in political, economic, trade, scientific and cultural fields and strengthening their legal framework when Tajik Deputy Foreign Minister Idibek Kalandar met Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister for Bilateral Affairs Mohammed Bahr al-Uloom in Baghdad on October 18, Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry said.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Furthermore, the sides reviewed the current state and prospects of relations between the two countries, the ministry said.
They also exchanged views on expanding cooperation across a range of areas and on strengthening the treaty and legal basis of bilateral ties.
The two-day OIC session opened in Baghdad on October 17 under the theme "Dialogue and Solidarity as Two Essential Pillars for Promoting Peace and Sustainable Development". It was the first time in 45 years that the Iraqi capital hosted the gathering.
Iraq took over the Council’s rotating presidency from Türkiye during the session. Iraq’s foreign minister said delegations from 55 of the OIC’s 57 member states took part, including 22 foreign ministers, and that the meeting adopted the Baghdad Declaration. Kalandar has served as Tajikistan’s deputy foreign minister for several months and has held a series of meetings with foreign envoys in Dushanbe this year.
