6 May

Prime Minister Andrus Ansip is on a two-day official visit to Tajikistan, where he met today with the country’s president, prime minister and chairman of the parliament. At their meetings, they discussed regional developments in Central Asia as well as promoting co-operation in e-services, tourism, transport, and security between Estonia and Tajikistan.

During the meetings the prime minister reasserted that stable regional development in Central Asia is important for the European Union. Over the last three years the European Union has supported Tajikistan with 62 million euros, which have gone into developing social protection, health care, and the private sector.

In the meeting with Prime Minister of Tajikistan Oqil Oqilov, Ansip said that as a neighbour of Afghanistan, Tajikistan is an important security partner for both NATO and the EU. According to Ansip, Tajikistan’s transit agreement with NATO and its logistical support to ISAF are of great value. Tajikistan’s role will increase even further when NATO forces leave Afghanistan next year.

Prime Minister Ansip expressed his gratitude to his counterpart for Tajikistan’s effort in contributing to the development and economic advancement of the region.

In Oqilov’s assessment, stability in Afghanistan means stability for the whole region. According to Ansip, the co-operation of the whole region of Central Asia in deterring cross-border crime, fighting drug trafficking, and stepping up border policing is especially important after NATO forces pull out. “An increase in regional economic co-operation will certainly help improve the security situation,” said Ansip.

In March, the presidents of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan signed an agreement to build a railway connection from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Tajikistan. The new line will be 400 kilometres long and construction should start already this summer. The project is hoped to boost co-operation and economic relations between the countries in the region.

In his meetings with both the prime minister and Tajikistani President Emomali Rahmon, Ansip introduced Estonian e-state solutions. “I believe that building up an e-state in Tajikistan would help speed up social development,” said Ansip, expressing Estonia’s willingness to co-operate in consulting and developing technological solutions, if needed. In 2010, 13 Tajik e-state experts visited Estonia, receiving in-depth e-state training.

Talking about the development of economic relations between Estonia and Tajikistan, Ansip said in the meeting that this calls for signing the most important agreements in the field – those of investment protection and prevention of double taxation. “I hope that both agreements will be signed as soon as possible,” said Ansip.