DUSHANBE, January 11, Asia-Plus – The Russian region of Ural has needs in skilled workers and is ready to the Ural authorities are ready to admit more than 50,000 workers from Tajikistan to the region to provide them with jobs. 

The source in



Tajikistan


’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) told Asia-Plus this today morning.  According to the source, Yuri Matushkin, head of the Ural Chamber of Commerce and Industry, remarked this at the Russian-Tajik economic forum that was held in


Dushanbe


in late November last year.  

It was noted that large enterprises in the Russian region of Ural such as


Chelyabinsk


tractor-producing plant, Ural optical-mechanical plants and the Pervouralsky tube-producing plant were interested in supplying their outputs to


Tajikistan


.  

DUSHANBE


, January 11, Asia-Plus – As of January 8 4,210 meters of transport and 4,450 meters of air-and-drainage mains have been dug, Said Karimov, engineer-in-chief with the constructing enterprises’ directorate within the Tajik Ministry of Transport, said in his in interview with Asia-Plus. 

According to him, to complete the construction of the tunnel it remains to dig 784.6 meters of the transport and 448.6 meters of the air-and-drainage mains.  He says that at present builders are daily digging 12.3 meters of the transport main and 6.8 meters of the air-and-drainage main.  “More than 400 local and foreign specialists are working on this facility of the statewide importance,” Mr. Karimov said, adding that they plan to put the tunnel into operation according to schedule – on March 21 this year.

As it had been reported earlier,


Tajikistan


and


Iran


signed an agreement on joint construction of a 5-kilometer Anzob tunnel in


Tajikistan


in 2003.  Iranian construction company “Sabir International” is participating in the construction of the tunnel.  The Iranian side has invested US$39 million in this project, according Karimov.  Once the project on the Anzob tunnel becomes operational, it will allow dropping the transit time by four to five hours and making the transit rout shorter by 35 kilometers.  

DUSHANBE


, January 11, Asia-Plus –


Tajikistan


’s commerce-industry-culture center is supposed to have been opened in the Russian city of


Penza


this year, Asia-Plus has learned from Odil Sangov, first deputy head of


Tajikistan


’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI).

According to him, it has become possible due to a memorandum of understanding on implementation of an agreement between CCIs of Tajikistan and Penza Region signed by the CCI head Sharif Saidov and Konstantin Artyushin, head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the Russian region of


Penza


.  The negotiations were conducted on sidelines of the business-forum in


Dushanbe


in December 2005.  

Mr. Sangov noted that the Russian side wanted the center to cover not only


Penza


but also the nearby regions.  

The Commerce-Industry-Culture Center of Tajikistan in


Penza


is planned to host exhibitions of


Tajikistan


’s achievements in industry, agriculture and public catering.  The Center also will be home for information-marketing representation of the Tajik CCI. 

For its part, the Russian region of


Penza


is scheduled to open its shopping center in


Tajikistan


.  

According to the Asia-Plus interlocutor, Penza-based Russian companies such as “Radiozavod”, “Armaturny Zavod” (ferro-concrete reinforcement plant), “Kompressormash” and others have already expressed wish to cooperate with


Tajikistan


.  

            DUSHANBE, January 9, Asia-Plus — The “Tojikstandard” (standardization and metrology) has rejected more than 270 tons of 3,000 tons of tea imported by Tajikistan last year.

Rahmonsho Mirzoyev, head of the foodstuffs lab within the “Tojikstandard” Agency, has told Asia-Plus that of 270 tons of the rejected tea, some 245 tons were produced in Iran.  “The rejected tea has not met requirements of Tajikistan’s state standards,” said the Asia-Plus interlocutor, “After analysis the rejected tea has been sent for processing.”

Mirzoyev noted that after the repeated processing the tea had been realized by weight, and 41 tons had been destroyed.   

DUSHANBE, January 9, Asia-Plus  — International conference on bird flu is supposed to be held in Beijing from January 16-19, Asia-Plus has learned from Mullojon Amirbekov, Tajikistan’s Head Veterinarian.

According to him, the conference is bringing together experts from the CIS countries and China.  The conference is aiming to discuss a strategy of combating bird flu.  Experts from the ministry of agriculture and health will represent Tajikistan at the conference in China, Amirbekov said.  

The conference is staged by the World Health Organization, China’s Government and the World Bank.   

According to Amirbekov, Tajikistan has imposed ban on imports of chickens and other birds and poultry products from Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, China and Romania to help prevent the spread of bird flu in the republic.  The Tajik Ministry of Agriculture has banned imports of live chickens, chicken meat and eggs, and other poultry products from these countries, where an outbreak of bird flu was registered.

At present Tajikistan continues importing chickens, poultry products and eggs from Iran and the United States.  

World media report international bird flu experts have gone to the eastern Turkish region of Van, to try to find out how quickly the deadly H5N1 strain is spreading.  Turkish officials reported five new human cases of bird flu on Monday, detected in several provinces.  Earlier, two children and an adult tested positive for H5N1 in Turkey”s capital Ankara; at least two children died of H5N1 in the eastern village of Dogubeyazit.  A mass cull of poultry is under way in the area.