Tajikistan and Turkey plan to increase trade turnover up to $1 billion
By Kamila Aliyeva
Tajikistan and Turkey may increase the volume of trade turnover up to $1 billion in the years to come as there is a huge potential in cooperation between the two countries.
Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Tajikistan, the co-chairman of the Tajikistan-Turkey Business Council Sharif Said held talks with the co-chairman of the Turkish-Tajik Business council Mahmut Er, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the republic of Tajikistan.
The sides summed up the results of the Tajik-Turkish business forum with the participation of more than 500 business circles as well as state agencies of Turkey and Tajikistan.
The head of the Tajik CCI suggested working out the issue of the organization and holding of an exhibition of Turkish products and industrial technology, as well as holding a business forum to intensify trade and economic cooperation.
Both countries can significantly diversify their business relations and increase a two-way trade to one billion U.S. dollars in the coming years.
The sectors like tourism, minerals, light industry, and agriculture are areas which could drive the bilateral trade between Tajikistan and Turkey to the higher level.
The volume of trade between the two countries, despite the impact of the global financial and economic crisis, has been characterized sustainable, as well as activation of the work of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, organization of Business Forum, intensification of activity of the Council of Tajikistan and Turkey have been named effective ways of strengthening bilateral relations.
According to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan, in 2016, due to the global financial and economic crisis, this index dropped to $350 million.
In 2015, the volume of trade between Tajikistan and Turkey exceeded $650 million.
Taking into account the production and export potential of Tajikistan in the field of energy it is planned to develop partnerships by attracting Turkish investments in the construction of small and medium-sized hydropower plants and the use of solar energy in the highlands.
There are more than 60 joint Tajik-Turkish enterprises in trade, printing, production of plastics, paints, civil construction in Tajikistan.
In October 2016, Tajik and Turkish Foreign Ministries signed a program on cooperation for 2017-2020.
Tajik–Turkish relations are friendly and cooperative and underlined with a legal basis of more than 30 treaties and protocols which the two countries have signed since 1991.
Turkey and Tajikistan enjoy solidarity within the international institutions such as UN, ICO, and ECO and have close cooperation in the framework of membership to international institutions.