DUSHANBE, November 20, 2008, Asia-Plus — Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda is attending the Seventh Ministerial Conference on Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) in Baku, Azerbaijan on 20-21 November 2008.
Several important regional strategies involving trade, energy and transportation will be discussed at the CAREC Ministerial Conference.
Ms. Tatiana Yevstifeyeva, Senior Administrative Assistant/ External Relations Coordinator, ADB Resident Mission to Tajikistan, said that Tajikistan government delegation attending the CAREC Ministerial Conference in Baku is headed by Matlubkhon Davlatov, State Adviser to the President for Economic Policy, who is ADB Governor for Tajikistan. The delegation also comprises Nematjon Buriyev, Senior Adviser to the President for Economic Policy and CAREC National Focal Point for Tajikistan, transport and Communications Minister Abdurahim Ashour, and deputy ministers from the ministries of economic development and trade, energy and industries, as well as customs service.
CAREC is an ADB-supported initiative to encourage economic cooperation in Central Asia. Initiated in 1997, the program to date has focused on regional initiatives in transport, trade facilitation, trade policy, and energy critical to improving the economic performance of the region and the livelihoods of all people—especially of the poor. CAREC is an alliance of eight countries – Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. CAREC nations partner with six multilateral institutions – the Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Monetary Fund, Islamic Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank.
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region. In 2007, it approved $10.1 billion of loans, $673 million of grant projects, and technical assistance amounting to $243 million.
