Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 1 December (BelTA) – All conditions are in place for Tajikistan and Belarus to strengthen cooperation, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon said during the enlarged-format talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, BelTA has learned.

“I am confident that together we can further our cooperation. For that we have all the necessary conditions, a solid legal framework, relevant mechanisms for interstate collaboration and enormous potential, which is far from being exhausted. In economy, the key segment of our relations, there is a mutual desire to establish mutually beneficial partner ties,” the Tajikistan president said.

He noted that in recent years, the overall trade has been reducing for various reasons. Tapping into the available reserves will help significantly expand relations in trade. “We need to focus on harnessing these opportunities. Enhancing cooperation at the regional level will also contribute to the restoration of the positive momentum in bilateral trade,” Emomali Rahmon believes.

The Tajikistan president also sees new opportunities for joint investment projects in the real economy sector. “In recent years, we have rightly assigned the key role to specific economic projects in the sectors where our interests coincide. It is primarily agriculture, machine-building, transport, food and light industry,” he said.

Emomali Rahmon noted that the investment project to set up a joint assembly facility Hisor is one of the most important for the agriculture industry of Tajikistan. The facility is partially operational. It will be fully commissioned in the autumn of 2018.

“Our agreements envisage the launch of Belarus tractor production in the south of Tajikistan. The project is aimed at exporting products to Afghanistan and Pakistan,” the president of Tajikistan added.

He stressed that he views the current talks as a logical continuation of regular political contacts between the two countries at the supreme level. “Tajikistan has a warm regard for the Belarusian people and values the sincere friendship between the two nations,” said Emomali Rahmon.

More than 15 Belarusian companies, including BelAZ, MAZ, MTZ, Amkodor, Gomselmash and Bobruiskagromash, have their distribution network entities in Tajikistan.

The main bilateral project is the development of the MTZ and Bobruiskagromash joint facility to assemble tractors, mounted and trailed equipment at the Agrotechservice company in the city of Hisor. The facility assembles Belarus-82.1 tractors, dump trailers and semitrailers. Plans have been made to increase the product line to more than 10 models of agricultural and special-purpose equipment. The facility was launched in November 2017.