DUSHANBE, 06.02.2017. /NIAT «Khovar»/. On February 6, 2017, the official welcoming ceremony of the Founder of Peace and National Unity – Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, who arrived in Doha, the State of Qatar, on an official visit, took place in front of the Emiri Diwan.

President of our country Emomali Rahmon was welcomed by HH. Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who invited him to the tribune of honor.

In honor of official visit of the President of Tajikistan to the State of Qatar, the guard of honor was lined up on the square decorated with the national flags of both countries.  The commander of the guard of honor reported to President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and then national anthems of both states were performed.

The Head of State Emomali Rahmon walked past the guard of honor and paid a tribute to the state flag of the State of Qatar.

Concluding the official welcoming ceremony, the President of our country Emomali Rahmon and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani introduced their accompanying officials respectively.

A wide range of issues with regard to boosting the cooperation between Tajikistan and Qatar first took place at a tete-a-tete meeting of the Founder of Peace and National Unity — Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon and Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and then continued during the top level talks in an expanded format.

President Emomali Rahmon pointed out that the multi-faceted relationships with Qatar have always been in the focus of our foreign policy and new documents had been prepared for expansion of bilateral cooperation in the fields of education, healthcare, culture, air communication, banking, tourism, and security.

It was emphasized that Tajikistan has vast opportunities to further expand cooperation in such sectors as hydropower and water, transportation, launching of joint ventures on processing agricultural products, light industry and mining enterprises, and implementation of these projects will be mutually beneficial.

The two sides agreed that the use of available resources and capacities could promote further expansion of economic ties and make a significant contribution to intensification of activities of the Joint Tajik-Qatari Intergovernmental Commission for trade-economic and scientific-technical cooperation.

Particular interest was expressed in the further expansion of economic ties, in particular permanent contacts between business circles in establishing mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of hydropower and water, transportation, agriculture, launching of joint enterprises of light industry, processing of precious stones and metals, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, participation in the elimination of consequences of natural disasters in Tajikistan, and the establishment of a research collaboration between scientists to exchange teachers and students.

It was noted that 4 free economic zones function today in Tajikistan, and Qatari entrepreneurs can establish an effective activity by building joint industrial enterprises in these zones.

Tajikistan has rich natural resources, including water, gemstones and precious metals, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and other mining. Also among the other factors to establish large agricultural bilateral cooperation opportunities have been identified the cultivation of high-quality fruits, vegetables, and cotton.

It was noted that the establishment of the consulting company, Qatari investment and commercial bank as well as Qatar Financial Fund in Tajikistan would be an important step towards further expansion of economic and investment cooperation between Tajikistan and Qatar.

In this context, it was stressed that the Qatari side could participate in further expansion of trade and economic ties with Tajikistan through financial support for the implementation of small and medium-sized projects, the financing of water and energy projects of national and regional importance, such as the construction of cross-border high-voltage power lines, the medium-sized and large-scale hydropower plants, substations,  as well as the creation of favorable conditions for the export of quality agricultural products and drinking water from Tajikistan to Qatar.

The parties, among other possibilities of expanding ties, called the growth of cooperation in the field of tourism, the launching of air flights. It was proposed to establish a joint group to develop a strategy for cooperation in tourism sector. The launching of air flights between the two countries would be an effective measure in terms of expanding tourism opportunities.

The research cooperation between scientists of the two countries, exchange of students and teachers, cultural programs were named an important area of bilateral cooperation.

The issues of inter-governmental cooperation in the areas of security, seeking political solutions — peace and stability in the Muslim countries, particularly in Afghanistan, within the framework of international organizations, including the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation were also discussed.

The President of our country Emomali Rahmon noted that in the path to promotion of humanitarian actions and good Islamic values the Muslim countries need to make greater efforts based on the principle of “Muslim is a brother of Muslim» to address contemporary threats and challenges.

The President of Tajikistan expressed his sincere gratitude to HH the Emir of Qatar for the warm welcome and generous hospitality, and invited HH the Emir to pay an official visit to Tajikistan. The invitation was accepted with pleasure.

Following completion of the meetings and negotiations at the highest level, the ceremony of signing of 8 new cooperation documents took place in the presence of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon and His Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Agreement on cooperation in the fight against crime and ensuring security between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the State of Qatar;

Agreement on cooperation in the sphere of culture between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the State of Qatar;

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on sports cooperation between the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Qatar Olympic Committee;

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of banking and financial activity between the National Bank of Tajikistan and the Qatar Central Bank;

Agreement on cooperation in the legal field between the Ministry of Justice of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Justice of Qatar;

Agreement on cooperation in education, higher education and scientific research between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the State of Qatar;

Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the State of Qatar on Air Communication;

Agreement on cooperation in the field of healthcare between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the State of Qatar.