DUSHANBE, June 24, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan has become a full member of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB).

Tajikistan paid its share in EDB’s authorized capital, transferring 500,000 U.S. dollars to the bank account and became fourth full member of the bank, the EDB’s press service reported on June 23.

As it had been reported earlier, he EDB Council last December considered respective applications by Tajikistan, Belarus and Armenia and approved these countries’ joining the bank.

Based in the Kazakh city of Almaty, the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has a branch in St. Petersburg, Russia''s second city, and offices in the Russian and Kazakh capitals, Moscow and Astana.  It was established to help boost investment across the former Soviet Union.

Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement to create the bank on January 12, 2006 in the Kazakh capital.  The bank’s authorized capital amounted to $1.5 billion, 33% of which belonged to Kazakhstan and the remainder to Russia.

In April 2009, Armenia became third full member of the bank, paying in its share ($100,000) in the bank’s capital.