A high-level EU mission paid an official visit to Tajikistan yesterday. They held meetings with government officials in Dushanbe, met with representatives of EU Member States and with development partners represented in Tajikistan.
According to the European Union (EU) Delegation to Tajikistan, Mr. Stefano Manservisi, Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Cooperation, and Mr. Peter Burian, EU Special Representative for Central Asia, arrived in Dushanbe on July 12 to look into the current EU – Tajikistan relations, in particular in the process of implementation of the country`s New Development Strategy 2016– 2030.
EU officials reportedly had an opportunity to further discuss the EU-Tajikistan cooperation with Mr. Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Mr. Davlatali Said, First Deputy Prime Minister, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Ministry of Finance, and the First Vice-Chairman of the National Bank.
The EU reiterated its support to Tajikistan to accompany the implementation of reforms and to Tajikistan's National Development Strategy through its financial and technical assistance focused on health, education and rural development.
Development Cooperation Director General Stefano Manservisi pointed that "By supporting the education and health sectors as the first priority, Tajikistan has chosen the right path for development. Yet, development requires strong institutions and respect for the rule of law, and that the civil society has a key role to play in these social sectors."
The EU mission yesterday morning visited the Shamsiddin-Shohin (formerly Shouroobod) district, at the Tajik-Afghan border. There, the EU launched a new project, in agreement with the Tajik and Afghan governments, for building of a bridge in Farkhor district, the rehabilitation of road and river bank stabilization, in which will foster local private sector and markets development contributing to peace, resilience and trade facilitation in the region. The project will be implemented by Aga Khan Foundation and PATRIP Foundation. The project has a budget of EUR 16 million and is funded by the European Union.
The European Union, composed of 28 Member States, is the world’s largest aid donor. Tajikistan receives the main share of EU's bilateral assistance to Central Asia: €251 million for 2014-2020. During this period, the development cooperation between the EU and Tajikistan covers three key sectors: education – focusing on secondary general education and TVET, health – focusing on Primary Healthcare and Health Financing, and rural development – including support to agrarian reform, rural entrepreneurship, irrigation and water sector reform, as well as promoting natural resources management. The EU also supports reforms of the country's governance systems, trade policies and Public Finance Management.
