DUSHANBE, April 20, Asia-Plus -- Visiting Asian Development Bank (ADB) Deputy Director General Xianbin Yao today met with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.

The meeting focused on issues related to further expansion of cooperation between the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Tajikistan’s Government.   

Following his meeting with President Rahmon, Xianbin Yao told journalists that ADB attaches an important significance to partnership with Tajikistan and the Bank will support Tajikistan in future as well.

He reminded that a CAREC ministerial conference will be held in Dushanbe in November.     

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. 

 “Your President underlined the importance of regional cooperation and outlined hydropower, agriculture, transport and infrastructure as priorities of economic development of the country,” said the ADB deputy director general, “Our bank actively supports and will continue supporting improvement of this sectors in Tajikistan in future as well.”   

On the cooperation in energy sector, Xianbin Yao hailed Tajik government’s efforts to reform the energy sector.  He noted that the Bank jointly with the government works on preparation of projects construction of power plants and power-transmission lines. 

Asked about cooperation in the field of agriculture, the ADB deputy director general noted that it is necessary to tackle, first of all, the problems related to debts of cotton farmers to their creditors, irrigation and mitigation of effects of flooding.  

Xianbin Yao arrived in Tajikistan yesterday for an official two-day for talks with high-ranking Tajik state officials and donors.

He is also scheduled to meet with other Tajik senior government officials to discuss ADB’s assistance program in Tajikistan, which focuses on strengthening rural development, social sectors, and regional cooperation, and rehabilitating basic infrastructure.  He will also meet with donor representatives in the country, according to her.        

Mr. Yao, who joined ADB in 1991, is the Deputy Director General of the Central and West Asia Department covering 10 countries – Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Mr. Yao will leave the country tomorrow.