DUSHANBE, February 14, 2013, Asia-Plus  -- On Wednesday February 13, Safarali Najmiddinov, the Minister of Finance of Tajikistan, met here with Peter Mikula, the Country Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Tajikistan.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF)’s Secretariat reports that the sides discussed a broad range of issues related to bilateral economic cooperation between Tajikistan and Switzerland, Tajikistan’s economic development and significance of Tajikistan’s joining the World Trade Organization (WTO).

They also considered issues of providing financial assistance to Tajikistan and a role of international financial institutions in that direction.

A delegation of Switzerland will arrive in Dushanbe in early March to participate in a meeting of the Tajik-Swiss intergovernmental commission for trade and economic cooperation, the source said.  

Established in 1998, the Swiss Cooperation Office in Tajikistan monitors implementation of all Swiss-funded projects in Tajikistan, which are coordinated by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).  The overall goal of these two agencies is to contribute to poverty alleviation, facilitation of sustainable growth, equitable access to good quality public services and transition towards pluralistic and economically viable states. Through the Swiss Cooperation Office in Tajikistan Switzerland implements projects with the aim to achieve a sustainable change in the country.