DUSHANBE, March 2, Asia-Plus - Tajikistan has expressed wish to become member of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB).

The EDB delegation led by Igor Finogenov, chairman of the bank’s board, arrived in Dushanbe yesterday for a three-day working visit.  

Alisher Soliyev, the head of the department for foreign investments and international financial institutions of the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT), said that the EDB delegation is scheduled to meet with the NBT head Murodali Alimardonov today.  The EBD’s board chairman Finogenov is also expected to hold talks with President Emomali Rahmonov today afternoon.  

 The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is based in former Kazakh capital Almaty - still the country''s business center - and have a branch in St. Petersburg, Russia''s second city, and offices in the two countries'' capitals, Moscow and Astana.  It was established to help boost investment across the former Soviet Union.

Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement to create the bank on January 12, 2006 in the Kazakh capital, Astana.  The bank has authorized capital of $1.5 billion, 33% of which will belong to Kazakhstan and the remainder to Russia.  The bank is dedicated to facilitate resolving integration tasks and promote development of market economy and sustainable economic growth in participating states as well as expansion of mutual trade and economic ties between them.