Dushanbe, 14.06.2016. /NIAT “Khovar”/. Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Aslov has met here on Monday with Ambassador Petko Draganov, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, and Head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA).
According to the Tajik MFA Information Department, during the meeting, the issues of cooperation between Tajikistan and UNRCCA, regional cooperation in the field of fighting against human and drug trafficking, terrorism and extremism, strengthening border security and water resources management have been discussed.
We will recall that the United Nations Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia was inaugurated in December 2007 to help the region’s countries respond more proactively to cross-border challenges and threats before they can become costlier and more difficult to control.
The Center is tasked with assisting the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in building capacities to peacefully prevent conflict, in facilitating dialogue, and in catalyzing international support behind projects and initiatives.
On March 17, 2015, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Petko Draganov of Bulgaria as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Mr. Draganov currently serves as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD), a position he has held since 2009.  He was previously the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Bulgaria to the United Nations Office and the other International Organizations in Geneva (2005-2009, 1998‑2001)and the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria (2001-2005),serving also as Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to the Republic of Moldova and Alternate Representative of Bulgaria to the United Nations Security Council.
From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Draganov was Bulgaria’s Ambassador to South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Swaziland.  He also served as Chargé d’Affairs of the Bulgarian Embassy in Zimbabwe, worked at the West African Desk at the African Department of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was Attaché at the Bulgarian Embassy in Ghana.
Mr. Draganov holds a Master of Arts in International Law from Moscow Institute for International Relations.  In addition to Bulgarian, he speaks English, French and Russian.