In a statement delivered at the 15th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on November 28 proposed to lift quarantine transportation and transit restrictions that had been imposed following the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Tajik leader noted that ECO member nations account for 40 percent of Tajikistan’s external trade turnover, while the share of ECO member nations in external trade turnover of each of the Organization member nations account for only 8.0 percent.  

“Unfortunately, the ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA), which is designed to increase trade within the Organization, is still not valid,” said Tajik leader.  “In this regard, we invite the member countries to develop a joint plan for the effective implementation of trade potential within the ECO region.”    

“Therefore, we must give priority attention to increasing the transport and transit potential of the ECO region.  We consider a test transportation of goods through the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran corridor that took place last year to be an essential step in this direction,” Rahmon noted.  

He further added that Tajikistan was interested in actively participating in the project being developed to join and form regional power systems, in particular to create the regional power market.