Tajikistan interested in resuming Dushanbe-Baku direct flights
By Sara Rajabova
A Tajik official has voiced his country’s interest toward opening a Dushanbe-Baku direct flight route.
“Tajikistan is very interested in opening direct flights in between Baku and Dushanbe,” said Zohir Saidov, Tajik ambassador to Azerbaijan.
He told Trend on March 11 that currently both countries' aviation authorities are negotiating the terms of a potential cooperation on this issue. Among the details to be discussed remains the frequency of flights per week.
Although a direct route between Dushanbe and Baku was launched on July 10, 2012, it was suspended in view of low passenger traffic. Flights resumed in March last year only to be suspended again due to poor bookings.
Saidov said Tajikistan is interested in launching flights in between Baku and Dushanbe on parity conditions.
“We attach great importance to the opening of this flight route. We hope that by the end of the year we can reach a decision, especially since both heads of state have expressed their accord. We believe that it is difficult to talk about strong advances in bilateral cooperation when such an issue remains unresolved. Once flights will resume things will be different," the ambassador underscored.
He further noted that the lack of direct communication between Azerbaijan and Tajikistan has created difficulties in both the development of trade and economic relations and tourism.
Earlier, this very issue was discussed at a meeting with Nematullo Hikmatullazoda, Tajikistan’s Economy and Trade Minister and Abbasali Hasanov, Azerbaijani ambassador to Tajikistan.
The resumption of the Dushanbe-Baku direct flights, which suspended in 2013, was also discussed at the meeting of two countries presidents, during Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Dushanbe last October.
Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, both post-Soviet republics established diplomatic relations on May 29, 1992.
The two countries' cooperation reached a new level in 2008, when an intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation was launched. It coordinates the realization of economic ties and develops new offers for future cooperation.
Currently, the legal base of Azerbaijan and Tajikistan relations consists of over 30 documents. This legal base paves the way for the strengthening and development of future political, economic, humanitarian banking, as well as investment relations between them.
The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Tajikistan amounted to $11 million in the first half of 2014. Opportunities for further growth remain many and profitable. Tajikistan purchases aluminum oxide, coke and other raw materials from Azerbaijan.
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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
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