DUSHANBE (Tajik Presidential press service) – Six documents were signed between Tajikistan and Turkey on December 17 at a business forum in Konya. Nine more documents are to be signed on December 18, the president’s press service said.

Beside the forum, President Emomali Rahmon attented a Seb-i Arus (شب عروس, “wedding night”) ceremony which took place in Konya on Monday in order to commemorate Jalal al-Din Rumi. The ceremony was also attended by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was invited to this ceremony, has cancelled his trip to Konya at a time when Iran’s top military commander has warned Turkey that the deployment of Patriot anti-missile batteries along Turkey’s border with Syria will set the stage for a world war.

President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon yesterday attended the Turkey-Tajikistan Business and Trade Forum which was organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) in the central Anatolian province of Konya.

Speaking on the sidelines of the forum, Rahmon said that there were 53 Turkish companies operating in Tajikistan and highlands of Tajikistan were very rich in precious metals, and also expressed frustration that Turkish companies are not dealing with mining there. Rahmon also underlined that Turkey was among the four countries sharing the highest commercial ties with Tajikistan, adding, “Our trade with Turkey now approximately amounts to $600 mln. This figure has increased by $180 mln since 2010. This figure is far from meeting our demand. This is by tens of times lower than our capacity.”

The documents signed between the two countries are related to the construction of several facilities in Tajikistan valued at $122 mln:

• Coca-Cola bottling plant estimated at $70 mln (previously announced at $30 mln)
• Family Recreation and Shopping Centre in Dushanbe worth $50 mln (memorandum signed between Tajikistan’s Tamvil and Turkey’s Turkmoli)
• A flour mill will be built in Gissar district at the cost of $2 mln; it will employ 150 people (agreement signed between Tajikistan’s Farovon and Turkey’s Degirmenci Kardeslar).

During the visit, Tajikistan and Turkey established a “cooperation council” aimed to address strategic areas of cooperation between the two countries. The President of Tajikistan will lead the delegation of Tajikistan and Prime Minister of Turkey will lead the delegation of Turkey in this council.