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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, on Monday evening. He is representing India at the meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government, being held in Dushanbe on October 1920. Upon his arrival at the hotel, the Defence Minister was welcomed by members of the Indian community as well as residents.
Among the residents who welcomed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, several greeted him in Hindi. The defence minister was quite impressed to hear them speaking the language. In conversations with ANI, some of the Tajik residents expressed their love for India and the Hindi language. Sabohat Yorova is a Tajik national who teaches Hindi at a university in Tajikistan. She said, It is a matter of great happiness that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has visited our country and that we have had the opportunity to welcome him. Many children here learn Hindi, and many of them also travel to India. The cultures of Tajikistan and India have a lot in common. Expressing her respect and gratitude towards India, she said, After Tajikistan's independence, India was the first country to recognise us as a sovereign country. Our cultural ties with India have remained strong ever since independence, and will continue to grow stronger in the future. Another Hindi-speaking Tajik national, Shahida Sharafzoda, said that, We have a deep love for Hindi and Indian culture, which is why I learned the language. I serve as a Hindi-speaking guide at the National Museum. I have lived in India and received a lot of love from the people there. My friends say that I must have been born in India in my previous life. At our National Museum, I always look forward to welcoming Indian visitors. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in the Tajik capital on Monday to represent India at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), scheduled for October 19-20. (ANI)
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