DUSHANBE, March 29, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov met here today with representatives of the World Bank to discuss cooperation issues.

According to Prime Minister’s Secretariat, issues related to implementation of the energy and flood embankment projects were the focus of the meeting.

Tajik prime minister reportedly called on the World Bank to provide financial and technical assistance to Tajikistan in the future as well.

We will recall that on March 16, Tajikistan and the World Bank signed two agreements on additional financing for the Tajikistan Land Registration and Cadastre System for Sustainable Agriculture Project and the Energy Loss Reduction Project.

The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank approved additional financing in the amount of USD 10 million for the Tajikistan Land Registration and Cadastre System for Sustainable Agriculture Project on February 21.  The additional financing of the project will support three major aspects of Tajikistan’s reform agenda for land and immovable property.  It will contribute to expanding farmland restructuring and the issuance of land use-rights certificates to farmers, support the development of a cadastral system with spatial data about properties, and develop a set of pilot activities and plans for the development of a future immovable property registration system in Tajikistan.  The additional financing will help to create the enabling conditions for private sector-led development in agriculture and other sectors of the economy.

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved additional financing of US$ 18 million for the Energy Loss Reduction Project in Tajikistan on February 14.  The project assists in reducing the commercial losses in the electricity and gas sectors, and lays the foundation for the improvement of the financial viability of the electricity and gas utilities in a socially responsible manner.

The active portfolio of the World Bank in Tajikistan currently consists of 14 projects with net commitment of US$ 192 million covering energy and water (35%), agriculture and rural development (31 percent), education, health and social protection (30 percent), and economic policy and public sector (4 percent).