The Russian and Tajik presidents on Friday pledged to strengthen their cooperation in defense, counter-terrorism and anti-drug trafficking, the Russian news agency Itar-Tass reported.

The two countries would set up a border-defense cooperation plan which was of strategic importance to Russia, the Russian President Vladimir Putin told a press briefing after a meeting with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmonov in Sochi, a tourist resort in southern Russia.

His country was willing to work with other partners in helping Tajikistan's efforts to resume the latter's border defense force by providing support in personnel training, technology and equipment, Putin said.

Meanwhile, Rakhmonov said Russia's help would boost the security of the border between the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as Tajikistan has a long border line with Afghanistan.

Russia would help Tajikistan in the fight against drug-trafficking, extremists and cross-border crimes, said Rakhmonov.

The CIS was founded in 1991 shortly before the collapse of the former Soviet Union, grouping 12 ex-Soviet republics. Only three former republics are not CIS members, namely, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, all of which are now EU and NATO members.

Source: Xinhua