DUSHANBE, March 20, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- On Tuesday March 20, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon inaugurated a new building of the National Pubic Library in Dushanbe.

The construction of a nine-storey building officially commenced on September 4, 2007.  A total cost of the project is 40 million U.S. dollars.

After the inaugurating ceremony, a traditional meeting of the president with representatives of the Tajik intelligentsia took place in the new building of the National Public Library on the occasion of the Navrouz holiday.

According to the state-run news agency Khovar, President Rahmon congratulated those present on the Navrouz holiday and offered to declare September 4 a Day of Book in Tajikistan.

Rahmon noted that a total space of the new library building is 45,000 square meters.  It has 40 reading halls and 22 stack rooms for 10 million books, as well as halls for holding conference and symposiums and laboratories for the restoration of books. 

The head of state noted that 1,330 public libraries now function in the country.  Over the past years alone, 30 new libraries have been put in commission across the country, the president