DUSHANBE, May 13, Asia-Plus  -- On Tuesday May 13, President met in Astana, Kazakhstan with representatives of the Tajik Diaspora in Kazakhstan, presidential press service said.

During the meting, Rahmon reminded that more than 70 interstate, government-to-government and interdepartmental cooperation documents had been signed between Tajikistan and Kazakhstan so far.  

The president, in particular, noted that 47 Tajik-Kazakh joint ventures currently operate in Tajikistan.

Noting that Kazakhstan had provided assistance to Tajikistan during energy crisis, Emomali Rahmon named a joint project for construction a 500 kV power grid Khujand-Almaty “a striking example of cooperation between the two countries.”  

“According to our data, some 40,000-50,000 Tajik labor migrants now work in different sectors of Kazakhstan’s economy,” said the president, “Here four Kazakh-Tajik joint ventures have been launched.” 

He further added that more than 46,000 ethnic Tajiks, who are citizens of Kazakhstan, live in Kazakhstan and underlined the importance of establishment of a Society of Tajiks of Kazakhstan.

According to him, some 150 Tajik students currently study at higher educational institutions in Kazakhstan.  “Over the past five years, 217 Tajik citizens have been sent to Kazakhstan to study different disciplines at local universities,” said Rahmon.  “In the South-Kazakh region, there are three Tajik-language schools with totaling 3,225 pupils and nine mixed schools with pupils studying in Kazakh and Tajik languages.”  

            The president also noted that Tajikistan last year allotted ethnic Tajiks from Kazakhstan a quota of 46 students, and this year, Tajikistan has allotted them a quota of 50 students.  

            The Tajik head of state named labor migration an important process for both countries and suggested that offices of Tajikistan’s migration service should be opened in all large cities of Kazakhstan.