DUSHANBE, November 12, 2009, Asia-Plus — The second session of Tajik-Turkmen commission for trade and economic cooperation that has opened in Dushanbe today is considering further steps to expand bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation between Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in different fields.
The cochairmen of the Tajik-Turkmen economic commission are Tajik Minister of Energy and Industries Gul Sherali and Turkmen Minister of Energy and Industries Yarmukhamed Orazguliyev.
Inaugurating the session, Gul Sherali noted that President Rahmon’s visit to Turkmenistan last October had given a new impulse to expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. According to him, a trade between the two countries in January-September 2009 has amounted to some 50 million U.S. dollars, which is 14.5 percent more than in the same period of last year.
Orazguliyev noted that the commission would consider a broad range of issues related to economic cooperation between the two countries, including the process of implementation of decisions made at the first session of the commission that was held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on February 13, 2008.
Asked about Turkmen electricity deliveries to Tajikistan via Uzbek power systems, Turkmen minister said that they would be impossible after Uzbekistan’s withdrawal the Central Asian power grid.
“However, there is an opportunity to deliver Turkmen electricity to Tajikistan,” said Orazguliyev, “The Government of Turkmenistan has developed a project for construction of a 500-kilovolt 450-kilometers power grid from Turkmenistan to Anhai (phonetically spelled) in Afghanistan and this power grid could be used for delivery Turkmen electricity to Tajikistan. However, the construction of this power transmission line has not yet started because implementation of this project requires some 50 million U.S. dollars of foreign investments. Besides, Tajikistan will have to construct a power transmission line from Tajik territory to Anhai.”
On the possibility of a rail shipment of Turkmen liquefied gas to Tajikistan, Yegenmamed Atamedov, an official with the Turkmen Ministry of Oil-and-Gas Industry and Mineral Resources, noted that it was quite possible. “Tajikistan may purchase gas from Turkmenistan in an unlimited volume. For this, you just have to participate in auctions that are organized by Turkmen Commodity and Raw Materials Exchange three times a week,” he said.
The session is expected to result in signing of an appropriate protocol.
