DUSHANBE, February 5, Asia-Plus – On Sunday February 4, President Emomali Rahmonov left for Egypt, which is the first leg of his week-long visit to two Arabic nations.
Rahmonov’s visit to Egypt will last till February 7, according to presidential press service. A source at the government said that Rahmonov today met in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart, President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak, to discuss bilateral economic cooperation between Tajikistan and Egypt. During his stay in Cairo, Tajik president is also scheduled to hold talks with a number of other high-ranking Egyptian state officials. According to the source, Rahmonov’s visit to Egypt is expected to result in signing of six documents on cooperation in the various fields of economy, science, culture and education.
In the meantime, according to the Ministry of Energy and Industry (MoEI), a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between Tajikistan and Egypt in the field of energy will be inked by Tajik and Egyptian officials in Cairo. The source at a MoEI said that Tajik government seeks cooperation with Egypt on the construction of hydroelectric power stations and power-transmission lines in Tajikistan. The Tajik side intends to submit for consideration of Egyptian officials a number of projects for rehabilitating and modernizing power plants in Tajikistan, launch of joint ventures on producing electricity meters, as well as projects for use of solar energy and technical support on introducing modern hydropower technologies.
According to some sources, the possibility of Tajik side offering the Egyptian officials a number of investment projects in the field of industry cannot be ruled out.
On February 7, Rahmonov will leave Cairo for Damascus, the capital city of Syria. During his visit to Syria that will last until February11, Rahmonov is scheduled to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as well as some other high-ranking state officials of Syria to discuss issues related to bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
The present state of trade and economic relations of Tajikistan with Egypt and Syria is at improper level and there is considerable room for expansion of economic ties.
According to data of the State Committee for Statistics, compared to 2005 a two-way trade between Tajikistan and Egypt last year reduced by 98.7 percent and valued at $3,100.
Meanwhile, a trade between Tajikistan and Syria last year amounted to $126,400, which is 12.7 percent fewer than in 2005.
