Issues related to expansion of bilateral economic cooperation between Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the 3rd session of the joint Tajikistan-UAE commission for trade and economic cooperation that took place in Abu Dhabi on December 12, according to the State Committee on Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest).

Co-chaired by Fayziddin Qahhorzoda, the head of GosKomInvest, and Mohammed Sharaf Al Hashemi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE, the session reportedly focused on ways of expansion of investment, financial, transportation and energy cooperation between the two countries.  

The two sides also discussed the issues of expansion of security, educational and tourism cooperation as well as establishment of a joint Investment Fund and the Tajikistan-UAE Commerce Council.

The meeting reportedly resulted in signing of an agreement between Tajikistan and the UAE on cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters.  

In the meantime, on the sidelines of the commission proceedings, the Tajik delegation met with officials from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development to discuss the fund’s financing of the Kulob-Qalai Khumb road rehabilitation project (sections “A” and “F”).

A conference of representatives of business communities of Tajikistan and the UAE took place in Abu Dhabi on December 13.  30 Tajik entrepreneurs and 40 businessmen from the UAE participated in the meeting at which opportunities of investing in Tajikistan’s economy were presented.

According to data from the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, the two-way trade between Tajikistan and the OUE over the first ten months of this year has valued at little more than 35 million U.S. dollars, which was 4.3 percent more than in the same period last year.  

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates were established on December 18, 1995.

The United Arab Emirates was the first country in the Arab world where the Republic of Tajikistan opened its Consulate General in Dubai in March 2007.  Today, along with the Consulate General, the Embassy of Tajikistan functions in Abu Dhabi.