Putin gives Tajik leader sniper rifle

President Vladimir Putin has given a Russian state-of-the-art sniper rifle to his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon, who is celebrating his 60th birthday on Friday, rt.com website reports.
Putin, who also turns 60 on Sunday, began the meeting in the capital Dushanbe congratulating Rahmon on the anniversary.
"I have always known that you are a wise person. You have invited us, decoyed so to say, on your birthday because one cannot be denied anything on his birthday. So we will have to sign whatever you want us to," he said in jest.
As a result of the bilateral talks the sides did seal a bunch of agreements, including those on cooperation in security, migration sector.
The base presence accords with strategic interests of both Russia and Tajikistan and will help to strengthen security and stability in the entire Central-Asian region, Putin noted at a media conference after the talks.
It was also agreed in Dushanbe that Russia will help Tajikistan to modernize its army and supply it with modern weapons and military hardware.
Later in the day, Putin met with the Russian servicemen at the 201st military base. The president spoke about the NATO eastward expansion borders, which has long been a concern for Moscow.
The presence of strike or missile defense systems near Russian borders would pose “real threats for our territory,”Putin pointed out. In this case, Russia would have to develop its national defense policy so that such threats would be eliminated, he stressed.
Yet again, the Russian leader called the North-Atlantic military bloc “a Cold War atavism,” adding that it is not clear why the organization still exists.
Moscow would like the alliance to transform into a “purely political” organization as soon as possible, Putin said.