DUSHANBE, November 2, Asia-Plus -- The World Bank intends to participate in a tender for completing construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power station (HPS) with a new investment program, Mr. Shigeo Katsu, the World Bank Vice-President for Europe and Central Asia Region, remarked at a meeting with Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov in Dushanbe yesterday, presidential press service said.  

In the course of the talks the two also discussed other economic issues, including expansion of foreign economic ties and prospects of economic development of Tajikistan.  The sides also considered issues related to development of energy and agrarian sectors, creation of free economic zones and border markets in Tajikistan, as well as implementation of new WB-sponsored programs for reducing poverty in Tajikistan, etc.  

            Oqilov and Katsu also exchanged views on prospects of further expansion of cooperation between Tajikistan and the World Bank and general economic situation in the region.    

As it had been reported earlier, Mr. Shigeo Katsu, the World Bank Vice-President for Europe and Central Asia Region and Ms. Annette Dixon, the World Bank Country Director for Central Asia will visit Tajikistan November 1-5, 2007.

The main aim of the visit is to attend the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC), which is held in Dushanbe, during November 2-3, 2007.  During the visit, Mr. Katsu and Ms. Dixon are also expected to hold meetings with members of the economic team to discuss status of the Bank’s ongoing and planned operations in the country and the outcome of the recent IMF/Bank Annual Meeting, held in Washington, DC, during October 19-21, 2007.

The program of the visit also includes a trip to the site of the proposed Roghun hydropower plant.  The World Bank has agreed to assist the Government carry out a feasibility study for the construction of the Roghun station. 

In the meantime, PM Oqilov yesterday left for Tashkent to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) prime ministers that opened in the Uzbek capital today. 

The SCO member nations are expected to sign an agreement on cooperation in the customs sphere.   The SCO prime ministers hold that the implementation of this agreement will help SCO countries work more actively, as cooperation in the customs sphere goes together with the work of law enforcement agencies, as well as with fight against drug trafficking and with cooperation in the sphere of high technologies.   

Cooperation also proceeds well on the setting up of a SCO center for warning about and liquidating the aftermath of emergency situations.  As for humanitarian cooperation, the establishment of SCO University as one of concrete and most real for the present moment joint projects.  Besides, countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are currently studying the possibility of mutual recognition of diplomas