EAEU States Account For 42% Of Tajikistan's Foreign Trade - President

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th May, 2023) The share of the Eurasian Economic Union member states in Tajikistan's foreign trade was 42% in 2022, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said on Thursday.

The EAEU member states are traditional partners of Tajikistan, and Dushanbe intends to consistently develop this partnership, Rahmon stated at a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Moscow.

"Over the past year, the EAEU member states' share in Tajik foreign trade accounted for 42%, it grows steadily year by year... We are ready to further increase export, specifically of the nonferrous, rare and noble metals, textile and cotton, vegetables and fruit," Rahmon said.

The president also addressed transportation issues that need to be solved collectively, such as limited capacity of border crossings and the need for new auto and railway communications including a rolling stock for transportation in situations of disbalance in cargo traffic.

"We need to keep in mind that with legalization of trade and elimination of barriers on the way to free cargo transit, the demands and requirements for transportation services increase, for instance, to the speed, and safety, and quality of the transit," Rahmon stated.

Since mid-2020, a Single Window system has been adopted in Tajikistan for registration of export and transit operations, and Dushanbe intends to further increase cooperation in transport and communication with the EAEU members, the president added.

Rahmon also noted a substantial growth of 7-8% per year in cultivation of ecological agricultural products, as agriculture is one of key areas of cooperation for Tajikistan, and the EAEU countries are a traditional market for this production.

"In this regard, I think it is necessary to collectively work out and realize mechanisms to facilitate shipments of agricultural products from Tajikistan to the EAEU member states, specifically, by establishing logistical centers on our soil," he said.

Moreover, he noted the potential of partnership in industrial production and cooperation in oil and gas, chemical, mining, metallurgic, light, textile, food and construction material industries.

"We are interested in setting up joint ventures and industrial parks with our partners, including the Union, in the specified sectors," Rahmon said.

The Tajik president also called for cooperation in hydro energy, as using its potential can become a factor for development of green energy in the region.