DUSHANBE, April 17, 2013, Asia-Plus  -- Tajik Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sharif Rahimzoda yesterday met here with members of the first-ever UK trade mission that arrived in Dushanbe for a high level program of meetings with Tajik officials, donors and private sector.

According to the press center of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT), Tajik minister noted that the mission could make a major contribution to expansion of trade and economic cooperation between Tajikistan and the United Kingdom.

UK Ambassador to Tajikistan, Mr. Robin Jeremy Ord-Smith, reportedly appreciated Tajik side’s warm welcome and expressed confidence of expansion of Tajik-British trade ties.

In the course of the talks, the sides exchanged views on further expansion of bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation, the MEDT press center reports.

The UK multi-sector trade mission that arrived in Dushanbe on April 15 consists of nine companies working in services, construction of infrastructure projects, supplying goods and equipment, steel bridging and IT sectors.

According to data of the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, trade between Tajikistan and the United Kingdom last year valued at more than US$25 million, which was 4.4 times more than in 2011.  This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to the United Kingdom estimated at US$291,000 (little more than one percent) and Tajikistan’s imports from the United Kingdom worth US$24.709 million.