DUSHANBE, April 22, 2015, Asia-Plus — A large business delegation of France, led by Mr. Phillipe Gautier, Deputy Director-General of the Movement of enterprises of France (MEDEF) is arriving in Tajikistan for participation in the first Tajik-French business forum that will take place in Dushanbe on April 24, according to the State Committee on Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest).
An official source at GosKomInvest says senior representatives of 22 leading companies of France will participate in the forum.
According to him, ambassador of Tajikistan to France and chiefs of diplomatic missions of France in Tajikistan and Afghanistan will accompany the French delegation.
Tajikistan will be represented by top managers of more than 50 local companies, senior representatives of GosKomInvest and other relevant government bodies, the source added.
According to the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and France last year amounted to only about 9 million U.S. dollars, which was 35 percent fewer than in 2013. Over the first quarter of this year, trade between Tajikistan and France has amounted to about 3 million U.S. dollars.
The Mouvement des entreprises de France (MEDEF), or the Movement of the Enterprises of France, is the largest employer federation in France. Established in 1998, it replaced the Conseil national du patronat Français (CNPF), or the National Council of the French Employers, which was founded in 1946.
MEDEF has more than 750,000 member firms, 90 percent of them being small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 50 employees. Every year, MEDEF International organizes a number of delegations of French business leaders with tangible projects to targeted countries, especially developing countries. MEDEF espouses “sustainable development”, raising companies’ awareness to the fact that environmental protection can also feature among their competitive advantages.
