The Minister of economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan Zavqi Zavqizoda has met with Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, with the Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Mikayil Chingiz-oghlu Jabbarov to discuss cooperation issues, according to the press center of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan (MoEDT).

The meeting reportedly took place on November 22 on the margins of the 18th session of the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) Governing Council.  

The two reportedly discussed issues related to the joint implementation of a number of large investment projects.  

The MoEDT press center says they, in particular, reached an agreement on implementing the following projects: the launch of the oil refinery at the Danghara free economic zone (FEZ Danghara) in Khatlon’s province;  increase in production capacity of the Tajik aluminum smelter (Tajik Aluminum Company, or TALCO); creating agro-industrial clusters; exporting Tajikistan’s primary aluminum, cryolite and aluminum fluoride to Azerbaijan; importing Azerbaijan’s alumina into Tajikistan for TALCO; and providing discounts on transportation by rail.  

The Governing Council is the supreme management body of SPECA and it composes of national focal points at the ministerial or vice-ministerial level, and the Executive Secretaries of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).  The Governing Council provides overall policy guidance to the work carried out within the SPECA framework, oversees the work of the SPECA Project Working Groups, takes stock of progress achieved, identifies priorities for the future and approves the SPECA work plans.

The MoEDT press center notes that after the state visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Tajikistan in April this year, a two-way trade between the two countries has increased.

According to data from the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, the bilateral trade between Tajikistan and Azerbaijan over the first ten months of this year has valued at 6,965,800 US dollars, which is reportedly 1.5 times more than in the same period last year.  This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to Azerbaijan estimated at 538,300 US dollars and Tajikistan’s imports from Azerbaijan worth 6,427,500 US dollars.

Diplomatic relations between Tajikistan and Azerbaijan were established on May 29, 1992 by the exchange of notes on the establishment of diplomatic relations.  Azerbaijan’s Embassy has functioned in Dushanbe since September 22, 2007 and the Embassy of Tajikistan has functioned in Baku since March 23, 2008.  

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, relations between Tajikistan with Azerbaijan have been developing in the spirit of mutual respect. Tajikistan and Azerbaijan are partners at the international level in the framework of such organizations such UN, OSCE and CIS.

Currently Tajik-Azerbaijani legal foundation includes more than 40 agreements and treaties, including the Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation between Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan dated March 16, 2007.