THE PAKISTAN-TAJIKISTAN BUSINESS FORUM WAS ORGANIZED BY THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE (MOC) AND TDAP AT DUSHANBE, TODAY.

A total of 67 companies from Pakistan and more than 150 Tajik companies participated in the Forum. A large number of B2B meetings were held among companies representing Textiles, Pharmaceuticals, Leather, fruits and vegetables, processed food, Transport and Logistics, construction, education, Tourism and Mining. Fifteen MOUs were signed for Joint Ventures and many orders were booked by Pakistani exporters.

The Forum began with welcoming remarks by the Qodirzoda Sadi, Chairman of the State Committee on Investments and State Property Management of the Republic of Tajikistan and followed by speech by Advisor to PM on Commerce & Investment.

Addressing the Pakistan-Tajikistan Business Forum, Mr. Abdul Razak Dawood, Advisor to PM on Commerce & Investment said that the objective of Pakistan is regional connectivity & enhanced regional trade. He said, the visit of President of Tajikistan to Pakistan in June this year, provided impetus to the historical ties between the two countries. 'We want to follow examples of ASEAN and EU in enhancing intra-regional trade and connectivity.'

He said: 'You trade through our seaports and we will trade through your land routes. There are lot of challenges and it will take time, but we need to work together to overcome these problems. We want to have Joint Ventures in textiles, pharmaceutical sectors & logistics sectors' He said, 'Private sector is the engine of growth, the driver of growth. I want to tell the business community that we are here in Tajikistan to make it easy for you to enter Central Asian markets and we are exploring all the sectors'.

The Business Forum was addressed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan and Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan.

Prime Minister Imran Khan invited Tajik businessmen to invest in Pakistan. He appreciated the cheap hydro power generated by Tajikistan and said that we expect early materialization of CASA 1000 project. The Prime Minister appreciated signing of business deals and MOUs. He also informed the Forum that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was extremely important for regional connectivity and Pakistan will work together with Tajikistan and other neighbouring countries of Afghanistan to support the process of peace, progress and prosperity. The Prime Minister added that the advancement of these objectives would also enhance connectivity and benefit the region.

On the sidelines of the Business Forum, the 4th meeting of Tajikistan-Pakistan Business Council was held. The JBC meeting was co-chaired from the Tajikistan side by Mr. Akhunzadeh Jamshed, Chairman of Tajikistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and from the Pakistani side by Mr. Zahid Shah, Vice President Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry. In the meeting cooperation in textiles, pharmaceuticals and logistics sector was discussed.