DUSHANBE, July 2, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- Mr. Andrew Bower Mitchell, UK Secretary of State for International Development, arrived in Tajikistan on July 1 for a working visit.

Sunday morning, the high-ranking British state official held talks with Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov and senior representatives from the Tax Committee under the Government of Tajikistan, the Tajik MFA information department said.

Sunday afternoon, British Minister of International Development reportedly visited the Vakhsh district in Khatlon province to review the DFID (Department for International Development) programs.

During his stay in Dushanbe, Mr. Mitchell also held talks with M. Murodali Alimardon, Tajik Deputy Prime Minister in charge of agriculture.  Senior representatives from the ministries of the economic bloc also attended this meeting.

Andrew John Bower Mitchell is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sutton Coldfield.  He was appointed as Secretary of State for International Development on May 12, 2010.

In the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for International Development is a Cabinet minister responsible for the Department for International Development and for promoting development overseas, particularly in the third world. The post was created in 1997 when the Department for International Development was made independent of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The Department for International Development (DFID) is the part of the United Kingdom Government that manages Britain’s aid to developing countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty. DFID has been active in Tajikistan since 2003.