DUSHANBE, February 4, 2013, Asia-Plus – The 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Tajikistan and Slovakia is marked on February 4.

To-date, Tajikistan and Slovakia have signed two cooperation agreements – a government-to-government agreement between Tajikistan and Slovakia on investment support and a government-to-government agreement between Tajikistan and Slovakia on trade, economic and scientific cooperation, according to the Tajik MFA information department.

Currently, the sides are considering one more cooperation document – a government-to-government agreement between Tajikistan and Slovakia on mutual encouragement and protection of investments, the source said.

Meanwhile, education cooperation between the two countries is also developing well.  Every year, the National Scholarship Program of the Slovak Republic offers scholarships to Tajik citizens to take the MA course in economics at Bratislava University.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic provides funding for National Scholarship Program for Foreign Students in various courses.

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe.  Slovakia is a member state of the European Union, NATO, United Nations, OECD and WTO among others. Slovakia is a high-income advanced economy with one of the fastest growth rates in the European Union and the OECD.  The country joined the European Union in 2004 and the Eurozone on January 1, 2009.  Slovakia together with Slovenia and Estonia are reportedly the only former Communist nations to be part of the European Union, Eurozone, Schengen Area and NATO simultaneously.