Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 2 June 2022, the visit of the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon to Uzbekistan began. The agenda of the leaders of the two countries includes issues of further development and strengthening of relations of friendship and good neighborliness, expansion of practical interaction in priority areas of cooperation.

It should be noted that despite the consequences of the pandemic, the dynamics of cooperation showed that the existing economic potential of our countries creates an opportunity for further expanding the scale of cooperation, continuing consistent work to diversify the structure and increase trade volumes.

During the visit, a solid package of documents on cooperation was signed, including the Declaration on the Strengthening of Eternal Friendship and Alliance, which is of great historical importance. In general, over the past 3 years, about 100 documents on cooperation in various fields have been signed between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The trade-economic direction remains a priority. To achieve these goals, the task was set to create joint small and medium-sized industrial enterprises.

There are exclusive offers for Uzbekistan, which were presented during a business forum held on the eve of the visit in Tashkent. According to the Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tajikistan M. Rustamova, there are positive results in the cooperation of entrepreneurs - the trade turnover has increased 37 times over the past 6 years, and following the results of 4 months of this year. it amounted to about 174 million dollars. This is 30% higher than the same period last year.

For the first time, women entrepreneurs from Uzbekistan, who specialize in tailoring women’s clothing, are entering the Tajik market.

Thanks to the development of comprehensive cooperation, it is planned to increase the level of trade in the near future to US$1 billion.

Tashkent and Dushanbe have laid a good foundation for the joint implementation of major infrastructure projects that are of great importance for the two countries. A joint Uzbek-Tajik investment company has begun its work, which will contribute to their implementation.

Thus, following the results of the talks between the heads of state, the construction of the Yavan hydroelectric power station on the Zarafshan River was launched. Interest in participating in the construction of the facility was expressed by leading companies with a worldwide reputation, as well as ADB and EBRD.

In recent years, countries have managed to solve issues that could not be resolved for many years. One of them is the removal of transport restrictions. Today, at least six routes operate between the countries, along which citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan can freely travel to each other. The visa regime has been cancelled. About 20,000 people cross the border every day.

It is important that the heads of state reached an agreement on the formation of new transit corridors and the creation of a modern logistics infrastructure, increasing air, rail and bus transportation, which will help raise relations between countries to a higher level.

The most serious changes have taken place on the Tajik-Uzbek border. At present, the process of delimitation of state borders between the countries is almost completed, demarcation work has begun. Judging by the dynamics, this is a very good indicator for Central Asia, where border settlement issues are the most important and relevant. Without a doubt, the final legalization of state borders will be a guarantee of security and stability in Central Asia.

Sh. Kabilov, Chief Researcher, MICA