DUSAHNBE, May 17, Asia-Plus — Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov today received visiting delegation comprising representatives from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), OPEC and Arab investment funds and led by Dr. Bashir Omar Muhammad Faddalla, Adviser to the IDB for Economic Matters. Representatives from these financial institutions arrived in Tajikistan to attend a roundtable meeting on investment projects that was held in Dushanbe on May 15-16.
Issues related to prospects of further expansion of cooperation between Tajikistan and these institutions as well as investing in development of Tajikistan’s economy were in the center of discussion. In the course of the talks the sides also discussed the results of a May 15-16 roundtable meeting.
Telling the meeting, Oqilov outlined solution of problems facing Tajikistan’s education, healthcare, agrarian, energy and mining sectors as well as construction and rehabilitation of roads as main directions and priorities of further expansion of cooperation between Tajikistan and those institutions.
The prime minister noted that Tajikistan needed investments for resolving those problems. “Our country has worked out investment projects for a total amount of 960 million U.S. dollars,” Oqilov said, noting that opportunities of large Arab companies could be used for implementation of those projects. Oqilov offered working out a medium-term program of cooperation.
Mr. Faddalla, for his part, supported this proposal and stressed that such a program could become a foundation of further cooperation and Arab funds could provide consultants for preparation of that program. “Arab funds intend to cooperate as partners rather than donors,” Dr. Faddalla said. “Spheres of cooperation proposed by Tajik prime minister are really important,” noted the IDB official, “US$960 million – it is quite a large sum, but Arab funds are ready to consider the proposals and select the immediate ones proceeding from financial opportunities.”
Pointing to the significance of development of private sector in Tajikistan, the IDB official said that they would study possibilities to establish holding with participation of the IDB, Arab investment funds and Tajik entrepreneurs.
During the meeting it was also noted that since the establishment of cooperation between Tajikistan and Arab funds, the last have participated in the implementation in Tajikistan of projects costing a total of US$180 million. More than US$76 million of this amount have already been assimilated.
The IDB, in particular, is participating in the implementation of 9 projects in Tajikistan for a total amount of US$66.3 million, OPEC is participating in the implementation of three projects (US$15.3 million), Saudi Development Fund – two projects costing a total of US$8 million, and Kuwaiti Fund – one project costing US$13 million.
