DUSHANBE, January 11, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- The fourth meeting of the Tajik-Afghan commission for trade and economic cooperation concluded in Kabul, Afghanistan on January 9. 

The commission, co-chaired by Tajik Minister of Transport Nizom Hakimov and Afghan Minister of Economy Abdul Hadi Arghandiwqal, considered bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan in sectors like energy, transportation, agriculture, construction, as well as science and social sphere.

The commission reportedly also discussed issues related to construction of Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Iran railway link.

Meanwhile, Tajik Foreign Minister, Nizomiddin Zohidov, met with First Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Javed Ludin in Kabul last Monday, the Tajik MFA information reports.  The sides highly appraised a role of the Tajik-Afghan economic commission as an efficient mechanism to strengthen relations between the two countries.

Zohidov and Ludin noted that implementation of agreements reached at the fourth meeting of the Tajik-Afghan economic commission (January 7-9, 2012) would promote further expansion of bilateral mutually beneficial economic cooperation between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

The sides also discussed preparations for the Fifth Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA V) that will take place in Dushanbe on March 26-27, 2012.

According to the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan over the first eleven months of 2011 has amounted to more than 123.8 million U.S. dollars, which is 53.8 percent more than in the same period last year.