Translated with AI
On July 4, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon took part and delivered a speech at the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), which was held in the Republic of Azerbaijan, the press service of the head of state reported.
Emomali Rahmon expressed gratitude to the Head of the host state for the warm welcome and worthy organization of the summit.
Head of State Emomali Rahmon noted that trade and economic cooperation with member states of this organization is one of the priority areas of Tajikistan’s foreign policy.
Great attention was paid to expanding cooperation within the ECO in the areas of trade and transport, industry and agriculture as the main condition for ensuring sustainable development in the region.
In this regard, it was considered appropriate for the Secretariat of the Organization, along with the analysis and assessment of the results of the implementation of the document “ECO-2025 Strategic Vision”, to jointly with Member States develop a new document aimed at fully utilizing the existing potential of trade and economic cooperation.
It was emphasized that, despite the negative impact of complex political and economic processes in the world, the economic development of the Organization’s member countries as a whole maintains positive dynamics.
The head of our state Emomali Rahmon spoke about the volume of trade turnover between the member countries of the organization, emphasizing that its share in 2024 amounted to 33 percent of the total volume of Tajikistan's foreign trade, which is 18 percent more than the previous year.
In this context, the importance of developing transport links and multimodal transport corridors was emphasized.
Tajikistan expressed support for the elimination of trade and transport barriers, simplification of transit, and the connection of road, rail and air networks of member countries.
The President of Tajikistan proposed taking the necessary measures to digitalize transit and transport documents in order to increase the efficiency and transparency of cooperation in this area.
According to the head of our state, such a measure will contribute to the expansion of trade and ensuring its security, as well as saving time and increasing the volume of international transportation.
At the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), President Emomali Rahmon drew the attention of participants to the development and expansion of cooperation between member countries in priority energy sectors, including the growing use of renewable energy sources, the production of green energy and the development of a green economy.
Emomali Rahmon called the full implementation of the construction of the CASA-1000 high-voltage power transmission line important for the countries participating in the project and noted the advisability of developing a Strategy for Ensuring Energy Sustainability in the ECO Region.
During his speech, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon also confirmed Tajikistan's support for expanding cooperation between the Organization's member countries in the areas of industry and agriculture. It was recognized as necessary to support and increase funding for the creation of joint industrial enterprises, especially small and medium-sized businesses, since such measures undoubtedly contribute to the creation of new jobs and growth of production, including in the light and food industries.
Ensuring food security, developing agricultural technologies, developing “intelligent” agriculture and creating agro-industrial complexes were named as other promising areas of effective cooperation.
In the context of climate change, it was emphasized that ECO member countries remain vulnerable to the negative consequences of this process.
An increase in natural phenomena such as floods, mudflows, avalanches and landslides has been noted, which annually cause significant damage to the economies of the Organization’s countries.
In this regard, it was recognized that it was necessary to take specific measures within the Organization to reduce the effects of climate change and the threat of natural disasters.
Further cooperation between countries within the framework of programmes for environmental protection, restoration of ecological systems, as well as the exchange of experience and technologies in these areas was recognized as useful.
The summit emphasized that Tajikistan is interested in continuing to strengthen mutually beneficial cultural and humanitarian ties within the ECO. In this regard, it was considered appropriate to give new impetus to cooperation in the fields of science and education, health care and tourism.
Noting the difficult situation in the modern world and the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East, Emomali Rahmon stated that Tajikistan is in favor of de-escalating the conflict and restoring lasting peace in the Middle East exclusively through political and diplomatic means.
In conclusion of his speech, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon expressed confidence that the results of the current summit will give an effective impetus to the development of multifaceted cooperation within the framework of the Economic Cooperation Organization.
