DUSHANBE, July 29, 2015, Asia-Plus --  Tajik Minister of Economic Development and Trade Nematullo Hikmatullozoda told reporters in Dushanbe on July 29.

According to him, Tajikistan’s foreign trade turnover has fallen 21.9 percent over the first six months of this year with Tajikistan’s imports having fallen 25 percent over the report period.

The minister noted that decline in the country’s foreign trade turnover had resulted from decline in two-way trade with the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan, which are the major trading partners of Tajikistan.

According to data of the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and Russia has dropped 11.3 percent over the first half of this year and a two-way trade between Tajikistan and Kazakhstan has dropped 16.9 percent over the same six-month period.

“Besides, a large number of our labor migrants is working in the Russia Federation and remittance flows from Russia to Tajikistan have also declined over the first six months of this year that has led to decrease in purchasing power in the country’s domestic market,” Hikmatullozoda noted.

According to data of the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT), remittance flows to Tajikistan have declined by 32 percent over the first half of this year.

The minister further added that the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT) had offered anti-crisis measures that would allow decreasing influence of the Russian crisis on Tajikistan’s economy.