DUSHANBE, March 17, 2014, Asia-Plus -- Over the first two months of this year, the external trade turnover of Tajikistan, including electrical power and natural gas, has amounted to 740 million U.S. dollars, which was nearly 94 percent of the January-February 2013 level or 46 million U.S. dollars fewer, according the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan.

The trade balance was negative and amounted to more than 470 million U.S. dollars.

Over the first two months of this year, exports of goods have amounted to more than 134 million U.S. dollars, which was 45 percent fewer than in the same period last year.

Over the same two-month period, imports of goods into the country have amounted to more than 605 million U.S. dollars, which was 11 percent or more than in January-February 2013.   

In January-February this year, Tajikistan has had trade relations with 71 countries of the world, including ten CIS nations.

Over the report period, Tajikistan’s major trading partners were: Russia – more than 200 million U.S. dollars; Kazakhstan – some 140 million U.S. dollars; China – 65 million U.S. dollars; and Turkey – some 64.8 million U.S. dollars, the Agency for Statistics said.

We will recall that in 2013 the external trade turnover of Tajikistan amounted to some 5 billion U.S. dollars, which was 102.9 percent of the 2012 level or 146.7 million U.S. dollars more.