On Wednesday October 2, the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, left for the State of Qatar to participate in the 3rd Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue.

The Tajik president’s official website says that at Dushanbe International Airport, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan was seen off by Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper chamber of parliament0 lower) Speaker, Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) Speaker, Prime Minister, Chairperson of President’s Executive Office and some other high-ranking officials. 

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Presidential Adviser for Foreign Relations, Finance Minister and some other officials are accompanying the president on his trip to Doha.    

As it had been reported earlier, President Rahmon on September 24 met with the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in New York on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79).  The parties reportedly discussed the issues related to bilateral cooperation and certain regional and global topics being of mutual interest.

Much attention was paid, in particular, to the agenda of the 3rd Meeting of Heads of State of Asia Cooperation Dialogue, which will be held in Doha, Qatar early next month.

The Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) is an intergovernmental organization established on June 18, 2002 to promote Asian cooperation at a continental level and to ensure coordination among different regional organizations such as the ASEAN, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the SAARC.  A key principle is to consolidate Asian strengths and fortify Asia's competitiveness by maximizing the diversity and rich resources evident in Asia.  The core values of the ACD are positive thinking; informality; voluntarism; non-institutionalization; openness; respect for diversity; the comfort level of member countries; and the evolving nature of the ACD process.

Since its inception, the ACD has rapidly developed in two dimensions, namely, dialogue and projects.

It is the first international organization to cover the whole of Asia.  Its secretariat is in Kuwait City