During a visit to Tajikistan on 22-24 July, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Rolf Ekeus met with senior government officials including President Imomali Rakhmonov, Tajik parliament upper house Chairman Makhmadsaid Ubaidulloev, and Education Minister Safarali Radzhabov, as well as with representatives of the country\'s national minorities and nongovernmental organizations, to assess the state of interethnic relations in the country. In accord with his office\'s mandate, Ekeus focused particularly on the availability of education for minorities, the use of minority languages, and the opportunities for non-Tajiks to participate in the country\'s political life. Rakhmonov sought to convince Ekeus that Tajikistan has made great progress in integrating ethnic minorities. Ekeus was quoted as saying he is pleased with Tajikistan\'s willingness to implement further reforms to ensure interethnic harmony. The reports indicated that the Tajik side is particularly interested in OSCE support for open and secure borders. (Asia Plus-Blitz)