DUSHANBE, November 12, 2008, Asia-Plus — Parliamentarians have ratified the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (CANWFZ) Treaty and endorsed the program of state external borrowing for 2009-2011.
A regular sitting of the fifth session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) of the third convocation, presided over by its chairman, Saydullo Khairulloyev, was held on November 12.
Presenting the document, Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi noted that the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (CANWFZ) treaty is a legally binding commitment by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan not to manufacture, acquire, test, or possess nuclear weapons. The treaty was signed at Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakhstan on September 8, 2006.
According to him, so far, the treaty has been ratified by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
We will recall that steps towards the establishment of such a zone began with the Almaty Declaration in 1992. A resolution calling for the establishment of such a zone was adopted by consensus by the United Nations General Assembly in 1997 and reaffirmed in 2000.
The lower house also ratified the protocol on making changes to the agreement of February 10, 1995 on customs duty and tax exemptions and issuing special permits for conveyance of normative documents, master copies, measuring tools and standard samples, being conveyed for the purpose of control and metrological attestation.
The deputies also endorsed amendments made to the country’s law on state duty and the program of state external borrowing for 2009-2011.
Presenting the external borrowing program, Ismoil Talbakov, member of the Majlisi Namoyandagon Committee on Economy, Budget, Finance and Taxes, noted that in 2000, the country’s external debt amounted to 110 percent of GDP, while as of January 1, 2008, the external debt has amounted to 30.2 percent of GDP. “The country’s external debt now amounts to US$1.8 billion,” MP said.
