DUSHANBE , March 18, Asia-Plus - A parliamentary group for friendship and cooperation with Cuba will be set up at the Majlisi Namoyandagon ( Tajikistan ’s lower chamber of parliament) before the end of this month. 

The Majlisi Namoyandagon Speaker, Saydullo Khairulloyev remarked this at a meeting with visiting First Deputy Cuban Foreign Minister, Emilio Caballero Rodriguez in Dushanbe on Friday [March 17]. 

Tajik speaker also briefed the Cuban official on activity of Tajikistan ’s professional parliament and said that to date, groups for friendship and cooperation with parliaments of 20 countries across the world have operated at the Majlisi Namoyandagon.  Saydullo Khairulloyev stressed that the group could promote expansion of bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Cuba in various fields.     

For his part, Emilio Rodriguez said, “We hope that the first official visit to our country will be paid by members of this group under the leadership of the Majlisi Namoyandagon Speaker.”  He also noted they would also set up such a group in Cuba .  

On the further expansion of cooperation, Khairulloyev proposed to consider the possibility of construction of sugar-refinery in Tajikistan as well as opening of a branch of the Cuban Center “Vitiligo” in the republic.  “For our part, we could provide assistance in training power engineering specialists for Cuba at Tajik Technical University ,” the Majlisi Namoyandagon Speaker said. 

 The Cuban diplomat agreed to study these proposals and said that Tajik Health Minister Nusratullo Khairulloyev had already been invited for negotiations with Cuban colleagues, noting that Cuba had a unique experience in pharmaceutics and at present two thirds of all medicines realized in Cuba were produced by national pharmaceutical industry.