DUSHANBE, January 19, Asia-Plus – First Deputy Foreign Minister, Saymoumin Yatimov, told a news conference in Dushanbe on January 19 that Tajikistan does not yet lose hope that the Roghun hydroelectric power station (HPS) in Tajikistan will be constructed with support of Russian aluminum giant Russkii Aluminii (Russian Aluminum or RusAl).
“Negotiations on the construction of the Roghun station are ongoing and we still hope for RusAl’s participation in finishing the dam project,” said Yatimov, “The completion of this ambitious project is of great importance for further development of Tajikistan’s economy.” The Tajik MFA official noted that the Tajik government and RusAl still have some differences of opinion on technical parameters of the station.
On the new migration legislation recently adopted by the Russian Federation, Yatimov said that Tajik and Russian migration authorities legislation are conducting consultations on how the new Russian migration legislation will impact Tajik labor migrants. “I think the new legislation will provide additional protection for our labor migrants,” the MFA official said.
The deputy minister stressed that Russia remains of one the he main strategic partner of Tajikistan and economic cooperation with the Russian Federation is continuing to expand. He noted that compared to 2005 a trade between Tajikistan and Russia increased by 59 percent last year and reached some $300 million.
According to him, Russia is expected to invest nearly $2 billion in development of Tajikistan’s economy in the coming years. “Russia’s state-controlled gas company Gazprom alone to spend $12 million to explore gas and oil reserves in Tajikistan,” Yatimov said.
Last year saw an intensive expansion of economic cooperation of Tajikistan with the CIS states, according to him. “Kazakhstan intends to invest $100 million in Tajikistan’s mining,” the MAFA official noted.
