By IANS
New Delhi : India Tuesday announced humanitarian aid worth $2 million to Tajikistan, a Central Asian country that has been reeling under its worst cold spell in half a century.
“The government of India has decided to provide emergency humanitarian aid amounting to $2 million to Tajikistan, out of which $1 million will be cash assistance,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
“The government has also expressed solidarity with the government and people of Tajikistan in their rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts,” the ministry said.
India enjoys excellent relations with Tajikistan. India enhanced its stakes in the oil-rich Central Asian country by setting up a military base in the Tajik city Ayni – the country’s only overseas military facility – and is also involved with the training of military personnel in Tajik defence institutes.
To increase its engagement with Central Asia, India joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation – a six-nation regional grouping comprising Russia, China and Central Asian republics – as an observer three years ago.