Amonatbonk (Tajikistan’s savings bank) and Bank Eskhata have been selected to give out Uzbek loans to domestic companies engaged in importing Uzbek goods into the country.
“Amonatbonk and Bank Eskhata have signed with Uzbekistan’s National Bank (NBU) and Asaka Bank appropriate cooperation agreements,” a source in the Tajik government told Asia-Plus in an interview.
According to him, the agreements provide for opening of the first two credit lines of 1 million U.S. dollars each.
These agreements were concluded between the banks in the framework of the government-to-government agreement between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on financial cooperation that was signed here on March 9. The document was inked by Ruhullo Hakimzoda, Chairman of the Amonatbonk Board, and Alisher Mirsoatov, Chairman of the National Bank for Foreign Economic Activity of Uzbekistan.
Under this agreement, Uzbekistan will provide a US$100 million loan to Tajikistan for import of Uzbek goods. Uzbekistan has a considerable array of goods it wants to send across the border, from textiles, food and electrical goods to automotive products, building materials and chemicals.
Recall, Uzbekistan signed a similar agreement with Kyrgyzstan during Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov’s visit to Tashkent in December last year.
A separate agreement was concluded in early February this year between Uzbekistan’s Uzpromstroybank and Asaka Bank and Kyrgyzstan’s RSK Bank and Aiyl Bank on conditions for provision of this money.
The first contract worth US$600,000 on delivery of Uzbek agricultural machines to Kyrgyzstan was signed in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, in mid-February.
