KULOB, December 14, Asia-Plus On Tuesday December 13, employees of the Kulob directorate of the agency for medical examination and certification burned some 500 kilograms of uncertified medicines being injurious to health.  

The head of the Kulob medical examination and certification directorate, Nabijon Shamolov, has told Asia-Plus that all burnt medicines and medicinal preparations were overdue, forged or did not meet requirements of state standard.    

“Since the beginning of the year, we have checked quality of 1004 designations of medicines realized in the chemist’s shops in the city, and only 905 of them have been found fit for taking,” Mr. Shamolov said, adding that 11 others have been found to be forged and the remaining have been overdue. 

Taking into the account that practically all medicines and medicinal preparations are imported to the republic, the Kulob medical examination and certification directorate head pointed to the necessity of tightening control  over medicines imported to the country.  

Nabijon Shamolov also noted that at present they were working on creation of appropriate conditions in 89 chemist’s shops functioning in the Kulob region for preparing and stockpiling medicinal preparations.  “Since the beginning of the year, we have given licenses to 70 chemist’s shops in region that have been found fit for working,” Mr. Shamolov concluded.  

DUSHANBE


, December 14, Asia-Plus Issues related to a scheme of organization of a system of mutual relationships between


Tajikistan


’s open joint-stock company (OJSC) “AgroInvestBonk” and the Asia Development Bank (ADB) Microfinancing Program were discussed in the “AgroInvestBonk” headquarters in


Dushanbe


on December 13.  

The source in “AgroInvestBonk” noted that such schemes were needed for microlending units for development of rural areas. 

Mr. David Lucok (as pronounced), consultant  of the banking and rural development department within the ADB Center fro Development of Microlending System in Tajikistan, noted at the meeting that ADB was studying potentials of commercial banks for implementation of the ADB project on placing loan resources in microlending units (already functioning and newly established) through local commercial banks.  

During the meeting the ADB expert was informed of a deposit basis of AgroInvestBonk, its free loan resources and the bank opportunities on redistributing them between its branches in the republic.  

KHUJAND, December 14, Asia-Plus So far this year, Tajik border troops stationed in Sughd Province have seized almost 6 kilograms of heroin, which is almost two kilograms more compared to 2004, deputy Head of the Operational Group of the Tajik Border Protection Committee (BPC), Odinamahmad Malikov, announced at a meeting with journalists in Khujand on December 13.      

According to him,  Tajik border troops have also seized some 56 tons of contraband building materials in Sughd Province this year, which is much more compared to last year, when little more than 20 tons of contraband building materials were intercepted in the region.  “6,000 citizens of neighboring countries have been detained for not fulfilling requirements of crossing border,” Malikov said.   

The other deputy head of the “Sughd” Group, Sharifkhon Odinayev, telling journalists expressed hope that a process of delineation of borders between three neighboring countries (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan) would be completed soon.  

“In accordance with border requirements, the national border should have border line, on both side of which there should no be residential buildings closer than two kilometers to this line” said Odinayev, “At present, in order to cross the border one have to ask permission of holders of houses because in some areas, the border passes through households of some border villages.” .

DUSHANBE


, December 14, Asia-Plus The deputy head of the Tajik Mine Action Cell (TMAC), Parviz Mavlonqulov, says that seven people have been killed and 12 others have been injured in mine explosions in


Tajikistan


this year.  The majority of incidents have been reported in Sughd Province, according to him.     

The TMAC deputy head says that although Uzbek authorities stated several weeks ago that they started demining of the Uzbek-Tajik border but this has not yet been confirmed.  “We have talked to residents of border areas and Tajik border troops but have not found any evidence that demining operations are being carried out,” said Mavlonqulov, “However, it does not mean that that they did not start deminig of the border but it means that we need close cooperation with Uzbekistan in order to tell people with confidence which areas of the border are safe and which not.” 

We will recall that Rashid Habibov, deputy head Uzbekistan’s border guard service, said at a meeting of the CIS border forces heads in Dushanbe on October 20 that Uzbekistan has started demining of the Uzbek-Tajik border.  According to him, demining started in the western part of the border and around 20 percent of the mined areas had been cleared.  Russian news agency Itar-Tass quoted new Uzbekistan Ambassador to Tajikistan, Shoqasim Shoislamov, as telling journalists on December 12 following his meeting with President Rahmonov that he had formally briefed the authorities of Tajikistan on progress in the mine-clearing operation on the Uzbek-Tajik border.  So far all mines have been removed along the West Babatag section of the state border, the Uzbek ambassador said.