Dushanbe, 04.05.2016 /NIAT “Khovar”/. The President of the Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek Atambayev will pay an official visit to the Republic of Tajikistan on May 11-12.

During the official visit the President of Kyrgyz Republic together with senior officials of all four countries participating in CASA-1000 project, representatives of International Financial Institutions, the CASA-1000 Secretariat, donor organizations and partners will attend an official ceremony of launching the implementation phase of the CASA-1000 Project in Tajikistan.

The Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan are two countries in Central Asia endowed with some of the world’s most abundant clean hydropower resources with water cascading from the mountain ranges and filling the rivers every summer. Both of these countries have a surplus of electricity during the summer. Nearby in South Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan suffer from chronic electricity shortages while trying to keep pace with a fast-growing demand for it. Pakistan cannot meet its citizens’ electricity needs, especially during the sweltering summer months, leading to frequent power cuts that hurt industrial production, sometimes close small businesses, and lead to job losses.

A new electricity transmission system to connect all four countries, called CASA-1000, would help make the most efficient use of clean hydropower resources in the Central Asian countries by enabling them to transfer and sell their electricity surplus during the summer months to the deficient countries in South Asia. The CASA-1000 project would also complement the countries’ efforts to improve electricity access, integrate and expand markets to increase trade, and find sustainable solutions to water resources management.

According to MFA of Tajikistan, diplomatic relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic were established in January 14, 1993 by signing the Protocol.

The Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic functions in Dushanbe since March 1997. The Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan functions in Bishkek.

The main stages of the Tajik – Kyrgyz relations development after establishing of diplomatic relations are as follows.

— January 1993, the working visit of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon to the Kyrgyz Republic;

— July 1996, the official visit of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic A.Akaev to the Republic of Tajikistan;

— May 1998, the official visit of the President of the Republic of the Tajikistan E.Rahmon to the Kyrgyz Republic;

— May 2004, the official visit of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic A.Akaev to the Republic of Tajikistan;

— May 2008, the working visit of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic K.Bakiev to the Sogd region of the Republic of Tajikistan;

— July 2010, the meeting of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon with President of the Kyrgyz Republic Roza Atunbaeva during the 27th Meeting of the Interstate Council of Eurasian Economic Community in Astana;

— November 2010, the meeting of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon with the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Roza Atunbaeva within the framework of the Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Dushanbe;

— May 2013, the official visit of President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon to the Kyrgyz Republic.

For the purpose of efficiently solving priority issues and further deepening of the bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic the sustainable institutional foundation was established — Interstate Coordinating Council, The Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic, two Tajik-Kyrgyz Intergovernmental commissions: for comprehensive review of bilateral issues and on delimitation and demarcation of frontiers.

Priorities of political contacts of two countries are reviewed in the context of such common goals as strengthening of security and stability in the region, the assistance for further development of the integration process.

n this respect, cooperation within the framework in UN, OSCE, CIS, SCO, EAEC, CSTO, IFAS,financial institutions and other international and regional organizations where the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic take part in, is of great importance.

The juridical base of bilateral Tajik-Kyrgyz relations, signed during 1993-2013, provides a strong legal foundation for further strengthening of multilateral cooperation of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.

The basic documents, which regulate the main directions and fundamental principles of the bilateral relations between Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic, are “Dushanbe Treaty on the main interstate relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic” signed in July 12, 1996 and “Treaty between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic on good-neighborly relations and partnerships” from May 26, 2004.

In trade and economic relations between our countries there is a tendency of a certain extension.

With the start of the work of Intergovernmental commission for comprehensive review of bilateral issues, which was founded in July 12, 1997, the process of development of Tajik-Kyrgyz relations process has become more clear direction and tends to rise has a tendency to rise and consistent specification.

It should be noted that the establishment of Intergovernmental commission for comprehensive review of bilateral issues, its regular meetings have become a kind of “bridge” for transition of cooperation between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic to a new level of development.

In general, in Tajik-Kyrgyz relations under the conditions of independent development there is a desire to establish of mutually advantageous ties in different aspects of cooperation. In these ties there is a spirit of mutual trust, good-neighborliness and friendly attitude towards each other.