DUSHANBE, October 11, 2010, Asia-Plus — The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT) has developed projects for opening of a number of marketplaces for Tajik-Afghan cross-border trade in Gorno Badakhshan and Khatlon province.
Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Ms. Gulchehra Bozorova, remarked this at an international conference on border management and trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan on October 8.
According to her, the marketplaces are expected to be established at the crossings on the Tajik-Afghan border in Vanj (Khumroghi), Ishkashim (Langar) and Murgab (Kulma-Qarasou) districts in Gorno Badakhshan and in Qumsangir district in Khatlon province.
She added that new border marketplaces would also be established at the Tajik-Kyrgyz border in Jirgatol (Rasht Valley) and Konibdom (Sughd province) districts and at the Tajik-Uzbek crossings and at the Tajik-Uzbek border in Panajakent, Mastchoh and Turusnzoda.
Ms. Bozorova noted that it would be expedient to set up a coordination center for development of cross-border trade with participation of relevant government institutions and international organizations.
She named shortage of finance for construction of the cross-border facilities and lack of simplified entrance and exit procedures for foreigners, customs procedures for movement of goods and transport means of residents of boarder areas as well as unilateral closure by Uzbek authorities of border marketplaces as factors that impeded development of the cross-border trade.
We will recall that the international two-day conference on Tajik-Afghan border security took lace in Dushanbe on October 7-8. Organized by the European Union (EU) Delegation to Tajikistan and the Embassy of Japan in Dushanbe with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, as well as the EU financed programs BOMCA (Border Management in Central Asia) and BOMAF (Border Management in Afghanistan), conference brought together representatives from relevant ministries, customs and border guard services of both countries, private sector and business communities of Tajikistan and Afghanistan, as well as international community to discuss ways to enhance trade and economic cooperation and transit shipments between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
The overall objective of the conference was to develop local capacity, enhance coordination and cooperation, and strengthen links between Tajik and Afghan authorities in Border Management, Trade Facilitation and Customs Services through the initiation of exchange of experiences and best practices.
The second day of the conference discussed technical subjects of trade facilitation at borders and optimization of workflow at border crossing points.
