Бақыт Сұлтанов: тауар айналымы $2 млрд жетуі тиіс.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/bakhyt.sultanov 

I am in Tajikistan as part of the official delegation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

For our country, Central Asia is one of the key areas of trade and economic cooperation. Close ties have been established with Tajikistan for a long time – we are the second largest trading partner of the Republic. Last year, despite the pandemic, our mutual trade grew by 3.7 percent to $791 million. At the same time, the growth of our exports exceeded 6% and reached $693 million. We send food products, natural gas, steel and aluminum products, and petroleum products to our neighbors. And from them we import mainly ore concentrates and mineral water.

But both our countries are interested in expanding the nomenclature. We presented in Dushanbe a list of 35 commodity items for which we can increase exports by more than $ 80 million. The use of financial mechanisms of KazakhExport also helps the growth of trade. Two years ago, its representative office was opened in Dushanbe. And now we are discussing the possibility of financing a number of large projects for the purchase of Kazakh products by the Tajik side through KazakhExport.

Entrepreneurs of our two countries have already met on the sidelines of the business forum in Dushanbe earlier this week. And even signed contracts for $100 million. The support of KazakhExport also played a role here. And our single window for exporters – QazTrade-is establishing relations with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan.

One of the areas of expansion of cooperation will be the docking of our commodity distribution systems. In particular, through the construction of joint wholesale and administrative centers for the supply of Tajik agricultural products to the Kazakh market. By reducing the intermediate links in the trade chain, we will be able to reduce the price of Tajik goods in our stores. By the way, Tajik raisins are very popular here.

There is also a prospect to increase the supply of our oil products – we are now in second place after the Russian Federation in terms of their export to Tajikistan.

All ideas for the development of mutual trade, at the suggestion of the Presidents of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, will be introduced when updating the current Roadmap for increasing trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Tajikistan for 2019-2022. And in the development of the Road Map for 22-23 years.

I would like to add that the Intergovernmental Kazakhstan-Tajikistan Commission on Economic Cooperation has been successfully functioning since 1995. The working body of the IPC on the Kazakh side is our Ministry of Trade. The 16th meeting was held at the end of March. And there, among other issues, they discussed the prospect of creating joint ventures. Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich also proposed a number of projects in this direction to his colleague.

By the way, we can increase our trade turnover not only by supplying products, but also by providing services, for example, in the aerospace industry and satellite communications.

In general, the unrealized potential is huge. The presidents of the two countries instructed the governments to strengthen their work in this direction (the benefit is now that the world economy is gradually beginning to revive after the coronavirus lockdowns). In the coming years, the mutual trade turnover should reach $2 billion.

We will work!