MINSK, 28 June (BelTA) – The meeting of Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon is taking place in the Palace of Independence on 28 June, BelTA has learned.
In line with the protocol, the talks were preceded by an official welcoming ceremony. Aleksandr Lukashenko greeted his Tajikistani counterpart in the courtyard of the Palace of Independence. The national anthem performance and the photo opportunity were followed by a one-on-one meeting. After that, the heads of state will embark on broader talks involving delegation members. Bilateral agreements are to be signed following the talks.
In early June, Aleksandr Lukashenko met with the ambassador of Tajikistan to Belarus. Back then the Belarusian president said that he would like to discuss the progress in the fulfillment of previous agreements with Emomali Rahmon. “We have a roadmap, and we must implement it. It will benefit you and us,” the head of state stressed.
During the meeting the president also expressed concern over a decrease in the volume of trade with Tajikistan. “The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the governments should rectify trade between the two countries. We also need to step up efforts to promote joint products on the markets of third countries,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
In 2018 Belarus-Tajikistan trade totaled $37.4 million, down by nearly 13%. Belarus' export made up $33.4 million, import stood at $4 million. Since the beginning of 2019, the bilateral trade has been experiencing a downturn. In January-April the bilateral trade shrank to $12.1 million, which was 83.2% as of the same period a year before.
Belarus' main exports included tractors, automobiles, sugar, chipboards, carpets, refrigerators, and tires. Belarus imported fruits, nuts, dried fruits, cotton fiber, cotton yarn, and textile apparel from Tajikistan.
Representative offices of more than 15 Belarusian companies operate in Tajikistan, including those of BelAZ, MAZ, MTZ, Amkodor, Gomselmash, and Bobruiskagromash. An enterprise assembling MTZ tractors operates in Hisor. Work is in progress to set up a dairy enterprise in Dushanbe.
