DUSHANBE (Xinhua) – Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President Wencai Zhang discussed prospects of expanding cooperation between the two sides here on Wednesday. The pair talked about issues related to supporting socio-economic development in Tajikistan, especially ways of reducing negative impact of external crisis factors, said the presidential press service following their meeting.

The two also exchanged views on a five-year Country Strategy and Program for 2016-2020, which aimed to promote energy, transport infrastructure, access to clean water and social services as well as facilitate reforms and investment in private sectors.

Zhang said the ADB will continue to provide assistance to the Central Asian country so that it can resist external crises’ impact. Rahmon, for his part, thanked the ADB for its support for the construction of a railway connecting Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. The route will be finalized in 2015 after Tajikistan reaches an agreement with Turkmenistan. The agreement will be followed by a project feasibility study, with the $9 mln dollars fund provided by the ADB.

ADB has agreed to boost its assistance to Tajikistan by around $20 mln in 2015, raising its full year planned assistance program to $79 mln. The 2015 assistance will be used to support development of the private sector, railways and water resources, and to help strengthen the investment climate.

Tajikistan joined the ADB in 1998, and the partnership between the nation and the bank has been committed to promoting economic and social development, including the improvement of infrastructure, agricultural production, regional trade and cooperation. So far, the ADB has offered Tajikistan about $1.3 bln in loans, grants and technical aid, while projects worth $600 mln have already been implemented in transport, energy and other areas.