DUSHANBE, April 30, 2014, Asia-Plus – Ruling parties of Tajikistan and Kazakhstan – People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDP) and Nur Otan (Fatherland’s Ray of Light) – have signed a cooperation agreement.

“The deputy head of the PDP, Asror Latipov, and the first deputy head of Nur Otan, Baurzhan Baybek, signed the agreement in the Kazakh capital Astana on April 29,” Usmon Soliyev, the head of the PDP public relations department, told Asia-Plus in an interview.

Founded in 1993, the People’s Democratic Party is the largest political party in Tajikistan, boasting more than 240,000 registered members.  President Emomali Rahmon is chairman of the party. The PDP now controls more than 60 percent of the seats in parliament.

Nur Otan is the largest political party in Kazakhstan with over 940,000 members.  Since 2007 it is headed by President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.  Nazarbayev''s predecessor in the party was Bakhtyzhan Zhymagulov.  The party''s predecessor, Otan was originally established on February 12, 1999 after the merger of several pro-presidential parties, including the People''s Union of Kazakhstan Unity, the Liberal Movement of Kazakhstan, and the "For Kazakhstan - 2030" Movement.  At the “uniting” congress the new party outlined a program largely supportive of the government of Nazarbayev.