Meeting with Tajikistan Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda

Belarus is determined to reinvigorate trade with Tajikistan, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Tajikistan Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda in Dushanbe on 12 October.

“What matters most is the economy, trade and economic relations. It seems that we have made progress in trade. Indeed, the bilateral trade has reached $200 million. However, we can do much better. After all, Tajikistan is our gateway to the nearby countries and regions. We are just under-performing in some aspects. We know this for sure. Therefore, we are intent on increasing trade between Belarus and Tajikistan,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The head of state emphasized that this should not be simple trade in goods that no one needs. “It has never been this way and will never be. We have a lot of goods that Tajikistan needs. And we will gladly buy your export commodities like cotton, metals, and agricultural products. And you are also interested in our goods, including foodstuffs, clothing, cars and equipment, elevators, buses, trolleybuses - everything that we produce,” the President noted.

“The world has shown us what a market is. We have already seen it. Therefore, if we are friends, if we have no problems in relations, we need to boost trade. We need to supply these goods to each other in order to grow our trade significantly,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added.

The head of state recalled that Belarus and Tajikistan are working to launch joint production of carpets. According to him, this project deserves a lot of attention since it has great prospects. “We are not acting as competitors here. We need to occupy this market niche together. We are not going to bring our goods and just dump them here. Let’s collaborate, especially since your people are familiar with this industry,” the President said.

The Belarusian side is also interested in the production and purchase of cotton.

“We see great prospects in Tajikistan’s energy industry and the production of large volumes of electricity. The whole world is now moving in this direction. You have clean electricity, you have a great future. And this is your asset. And we are glad that things are working well for you,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The head of state assured that Belarus would always be a reliable partner of Tajikistan and would not let it down.

“We have already felt it,” the prime minister of Tajikistan said.

He noted that cooperation with Belarus is of particular importance for the country. “We see the results,” Kokhir Rasulzoda said.

The prime minister of Tajikistan agreed with the Belarusian head of state that the two countries should jointly enter the markets of third states, especially since there are opportunities for this.