DUSHANBE, July 3, Asia-Plus — Qatari business delegation comprising 17 representatives from companies of this country is expected to arrive in Tajikistan next week, Asia-Plus has learned at the State Committee for Investment and Management of State-owned Property.
The source at the committee said that the main purpose of the visit is for the Qatari business delegation to conduct negotiations with Tajik entrepreneurs on mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of agriculture, industry, hydropower and private sector. “Qatari businessmen are ready to invest in Tajikistan’s economy and an amount of investments will be known after a business forum that will be held in Dushanbe,” the source said.
In the meantime, according to Tajikistan’s Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEI), they intend to submit 10 investment projects for consideration of the Qatari companies.
The source at a MoEI said that nine of those ten investment projects are aimed at enhancement of energy and industrial sectors in Tajikistan and the tenth one is designed for improvement of the country’s agrarian sector.
The energy projects provide for construction of five small power plants on the Khingob River in eastern Tajikistan.
The projects for industry are aimed at exploration of gas and oil reserves of the Yalgyzkak deposit in the Khatlon province, construction of aluminum smelter with an annual capacity of 200,000 tons in Khatlon, development of the gold deposit Chakanbuloq, construction of vegetable-and-fruit-processing plant, extraction of coal at the Shurob deposit, development of the oil-and-gas deposit Qashqoqum, construction of mini cement plants in Danghara, Shahritus, Vanj and Rasht districts, as well as construction of glass-works in northern Tajikistan.
We will recall that during his visit to Qatar on May 6-7, 2007, President Emomali Rahmon met with Emir Sheikh bin Khalifa al-Thani and other high-ranking state Qatari state officials to discuss cooperation issues. The talks focused on attracting Qatari and Arab investment in Tajikistan, and in particular the country’s hydroelectric power sector. The countries’ foreign ministers, national bank heads and chambers of commerce and industry signed memoranda of understanding during the visit.
