DUSHANBE, January 23, Asia-Plus - A mission of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) led by Robert Siy, Director of the Country Coordination and. Regional Cooperation Division, Central and West Asia Department, ADB, arrived in Tajikistan on January 22 for a two-day visit.  

According to ADB Tajikistan Resident Mission, the main purpose of the visit is for the delegation to monitor projects being implemented in Tajikistan as part of the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program. 

During its stay in Dushanbe, the delegation is holding meetings with high-ranking Tajik state officials to discuss a progress of the implementation of these projects.  “Tajikistan is the main beneficiary of the CAREC program and it has received considerable aid under this program,” a source at the ADB Dushanbe Office said.  

The mission is studying a progress of the implementation of projects aimed at rehabilitation of the Dushanbe-Kyrgyz Border road (ADB has provided a $70 million loan for this project) and backing energy cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan (ADB has provided a $21.5 million for this project), as well as regional project with Kyrgyzstan on modernization of customs services and development of infrastructure ($10.7 million), under which ADB supports improvement of Tajik customs infrastructure for promoting development of foreign trade.  

The ADB mission is also scheduled to discuss preparations for holding of the 6th ministerial conference on CAREC that will be held in Dushanbe in October this year.  

Tomorrow, the ADB mission will leave for Kyrgyzstan’s capital city of Bishkek.  

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program was initiated in 1997. CAREC’s goal is to improve living standards and to reduce poverty in CAREC countries through more efficient and effective regional economic cooperation. To date, the Program has focused on financing infrastructure projects and improving the region''s policy environment in the priority areas of transport, energy, trade policy and trade facilitation.