DUSHANBE, April 13, 2010, Asia-Plus — The state and prospects of further expansion of cooperation between the Government of Tajikistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were a major topic of a meeting of President Emomali Rahmon with Mr. Axel Schimmelpfennig, the head of the IMF mission to Tajikistan, which took place here on April 12.
A special attention was given to the implementation of the program of cooperation for 2010, development of Tajikistan’s macroeconomic indictors, mechanism of financing the construction of the Roghun HPP, as well as removal of obstacles n the way of development of the regional cooperation in Central Asia, according to presidential press service.
In the course of the talks, Mr. Schimmelpfennig noted that Tajikistan last year got good results in mitigating effects of the global financial and economic crisis.
The sides also touched upon issues related to the mechanism of financing the construction of the Roghun HPP and its impact on macroeconomic indicators of the country. The IMF official welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Government of Tajikistan and the World Bank initiating and advancing the techno-economic, the environmental and social impact assessments for the Roghun hydroelectricity project. He noted that the assessments would increase reliability of the station, presidential press service said. “Upon completion of the assessments, the World Bank could assist with creation of an international consortium for financing Roghun’s construction,” Mr. Schimmelpfennig stressed.
Concerning the delays in rail cargo bound for Tajikistan via Uzbekistan, the IMF official, in particular, noted that both countries were member nations of the Fund and one of the main conditions for membership in the IMF was support for free trade. According to him, they will consider that issue with Uzbekistan and assist with finding solution to that problem, presidential press service said.
