Senior officials from 11 countries in Central and West Asia and development partners gathered last week in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) senior officials’ meeting.

Headed by Ms. Gulru Jabborzoda, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, the Tajikistan delegation participated in the meeting.

According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Tajikistan Resident Mission (TJRM), the Tajikistan delegation comprised senior officials from the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources.

The meeting reportedly reviewed the implementation of the CAREC 2030 Strategy endorsed in October 2017 in Dushanbe; provided guidance on the formulation of the CAREC Transport Strategy 2030, and CAREC Energy Strategy 2030; and discussed the initiative of the First CAREC Capital Market Regulators Forum to be convened in late August this year. Senior officials also welcomed efforts to promote tourism in the region.

The senior officials’ meeting serves as a platform to discuss important regional issues and prepare the agenda for the 18th CAREC Ministerial Conference to be held in Tashkent in November this year.

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation, or CAREC, Program is a partnership of 11 countries (Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, People's Republic of China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), supported by 6 multilateral institutions, working together to promote development through cooperation, leading to accelerated growth and poverty reduction.

The Program's long-term vision is Good Neighbors, Good Partners, and Good Prospects.

With the rapid economic expansion of the People's Republic of China and Japan to the east, the Russian Federation to the north, and India and Pakistan to the south, there is unprecedented opportunity for CAREC countries to emerge as a center of trade and commerce, achieve higher levels of economic growth, and reduce poverty.

CAREC helps Central Asia and its neighbors realize their significant potential by promoting regional cooperation in four priority areas: Transport; Trade Facilitation; Energy, and Trade Policy.