DUSHANBE, April 24, 2015, Asia-Plus — The first Tajik-French business forum is taking place in Dushanbe today.
A large business delegation of France, led by Mr. Phillipe Gautier, Deputy Director-General of the Movement of enterprises of France (MEDEF), has arrived in Tajikistan for participation in the forum.
According to the State Committee on Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest), senior representatives of 22 leading companies of France arrived in Dushanbe for participation in the forum.
Tajikistan is reportedly represented at the forum by top managers of more than 50 local companies, senior representatives of GosKomInvest and other relevant government bodies, the source added.
Yesterday, French delegation visited the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tajikistan (CCI). An official source at the CCI says the French delegation members and senior representatives of Tajikistan’s CCI discussed issues related to trade and economic cooperation between Tajikistan and France and priority sectors of Tajikistan’s economy for foreign investments.
According to the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and France last year amounted to only about 9 million U.S. dollars, which was 35 percent fewer than in 2013. Over the first quarter of this year, trade between Tajikistan and France has amounted to about 3 million U.S. dollars.
The Mouvement des entreprises de France (MEDEF), or the Movement of the Enterprises of France, is the largest employer federation in France. Established in 1998, it replaced the Conseil national du patronat Français (CNPF), or the National Council of the French Employers, which was founded in 1946.
MEDEF has more than 750,000 member firms, 90 percent of them being small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 50 employees. Every year, MEDEF International organizes a number of delegations of French business leaders with tangible projects to targeted countries, especially developing countries. MEDEF espouses “sustainable development”, raising companies’ awareness to the fact that environmental protection can also feature among their competitive advantages.
