In the first of a two-part interview, the Tajik Foreign Minister, Hamrokhon Zarifi, speaks to New Europe about ever-improving relations between the European Union and Tajikistan, as well as the difficulties and opportunities that exist in the Central Asian region, as international troops prepare to leave Afghanistan.

New Europe: How can you characterise Tajik-EU co-operation today? What are the future prospects?

HZ: Our relations are based on the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement (PCA) signed with the EU, that came into force on 1 January 2010, and the first session of the Tajik-EU Co-opeartion Council has been held under this PCA at foreign minister level in December 2010 in Brussels, and in June 2011, President Emomali Rahmon began a European tour. We then succeeded in establishing regular regional political dialogue between the EU and central Asia at the level of foreign ministe ... Read more »