DUSHANBE, October 31, 2014, Asia-Plus -- A meeting of representatives of the business communities of Tajikistan and Russia’s Altai Krai took place in Dushanbe on October 30.

According to the press center of Tajikistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), members of the Russian delegation, led by Altai CCI Boris Chesnokov, included representatives from the Altai administration and a number of krai’s enterprises.

The Tajik side was represented by senior representatives from the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies, the Customs Service, the Association of Consumers’ Cooperatives, and a number of leading enterprises, including, Kapital-T, Khourokvori, Shirirn, Tojneft, Golden Lion, Romsar, etc.

The main objective of the meeting was reportedly in establishing and promoting further expansion of economic ties between Tajik and Russian entrepreneurs.

Speaking at the meeting, the Altai CCI head Boris Chesnokov informed those present about the results of visit of their delegation to the Tajik northern Sughd province.  He expressed confidence that the meeting will pave the way for further expansion of cooperation between Tajik and Russian entrepreneurs.  Chesnokov invited Tajik entrepreneurs to pay a return visit to Altai Krai.

A number of Tajik and Altai enterprises reportedly held bilateral negotiations on the sidelines of the meeting and signed cooperation agreements.

The Altai entrepreneurs also plan to visit the Tajik southern Khalton province, the CCI press center said.

Altai Krai is a federal subject of Russia (a krai).  It borders with, clockwise from the west, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo oblasts, and the Altai republic.  The krai''s administrative center is the city of Barnaul.  The krai is favorably located close to major sources of raw materials, has a well-developed infrastructure, especially in the area of heavy industry, and an abundance of natural resources.

It is a major industrial and agricultural region of the country.  There are more than 2000 industrial companies operating in both heavy and light industry.  The leading sectors are the power, engineering, chemical and petrochemical, building material, textile, and light industries.  This increase is particularly noticeable in the flour-, grain-, and feed-milling and chemical and petrochemical industries and in individual heavy industry sectors, tractor production.  Small and medium business is developing rapidly in Altai krai, which is a necessary condition for economic stability and growth. Today, nearly a quarter of the entire working population is employed in this sector.