DUSHANBE, January 5, 2009, Asia-Plus — Like the previous years, the main task for this year remains solution of problems related to enhancement of energy and transport-communication sectors of the country’s economy, Tajik political scientist Rashid Ghani Abdullo said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
According to him, it will be difficult to ensure development of economy without solution of social problems and thereby providing social and political stability in the republic.
“The main directions in solution of this problem are providing inflow of investments into energy and transport-communication sectors as well as mining, and minimizing job losses for Tajik labor migrants working in Russia lose of jobs,” the expert said, noting that labor migrants’ remittances amount to no less than one-third of country’s GDP.
“The government should take measures to ensure that reduction of quotas for attraction of foreign workers provided for by Russian government’s programs will affect Tajik migrant workers as little as possible,” Rashid Ghani Abdullo said, noting there ought to work more actively in this direction.
“Tajikistan has its own trump cards for negotiations on this issue,” said he expert, “Tajikistan takes into consideration strategic and geopolitical interests of Russia in full, giving it an opportunity of large-scale military presence in the country and expanding multi-aspect military and political cooperation with it. Therefore, we have the right to expect that Russian side will take into account interests of Tajikistan in the issue of labor migrants.”
Besides, Rashid G, Abdullo underlined the importance of work on implementation agreements reached with Russia, China, Iran and Kazakhstan, especially those related to construction of hydroelectric power plants in Tajikistan.
On the global financial crisis, the expert noted that under conditions of the crisis further expansion of cooperation of Tajikistan with international organizations and financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) assumed a special significance for minimization of the crisis effects.
He further added that the issue of creation of favorable conditions for development of private entrepreneurship, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in Tajikistan would also be topical this year.
“Successful solution of these and other connected with them problems depends on raising the level of professionalism and competence of relevant state institutions and on to what an extent their decisions and actions will be in keeping with the process of further formation and development of market relations in the country,” the expert said.
