Tajik president describes meeting with Medvedev as very useful.

DUSHANBE, June 9 (Itar-Tass) -- President Emomali Rakhmon of Tajikistan described his meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as "very useful and productive." The meeting was held within the framework of the informal CIS summit in St. Petersburg. As the Tajik leader said at a working meeting of the government held on Monday, "according to the results of a meeting with Dmitry Medvedev, a reliable basis for further strengthening of diverse friendly relations between the two countries has been laid," his press service reports citing the Tajik head of state. "The leaders of Russia and Tajikistan described the construction of Sangtudin HPS- 1, which is being built on the river Wakhsh with the participation of Russia's capital, as "a bright example of such fundamental cooperation." The Tajik side has positively perceived a statement of Dmitry Medvedev on Russia's readiness to participate in the implementation of other energy projects being built in the republic. According to the information of the Tajik Foreign Ministry, the government of the republic applied to Russia with an official request to take part in finishing the Rogunsk HPS. At the meeting, the sides touched upon issues of military and military-technical cooperation and pointed to the importance of the Russian 201st military base's presence in Tajikistan and the necessity of intensifying cooperation in sphere of fight with extremism, terrorism and illegal drug trafficking. Touching upon bilateral cooperation in the field of education, Emomali Rakhmon expressed gratitude to Dmitry Medvedev for assistance in opening branches of a number of prestigious Russian colleges in Tajikistan.