Reception to Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of ADB-TAJ partnership
Welcome Remarks by
Xiaoyu Zhao
Vice President, Operations 1
Asian Development Bank
19 March 2009
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to welcome His Excellency, Prime Minister Akil Akilov, Deputy Prime Minister Alimardon and all of you who have joined us today to celebrate ten years of successful partnership between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Asian Development Bank. It is a partnership in which ADB takes pride.
In 1998, when the country was the newest developing member country to join us, the Central Asia states were struggling to adapt to the new realities of post-Soviet independence. Tajikistan was particularly hard hit as it suffered through a five-year civil conflict that had affected its people and infrastructure. Tajikistan broke away from the vicious cycle of political instability and economic decline, and has made substantial progress. We are proud to be a part of this remarkable achievement.
With our joint efforts, last year, ADB completed its first full-fledged country partnership strategy in Tajikistan. We are one of the largest multilateral development partners operating in the country. To date, ADB's assistance to Tajikistan has exceeded $500 million in highly concessional loans, grants and technical assistance. I commend the Government for taking the lead and ownership in all our interventions. Another area in which we deeply appreciate Tajikistan's strong support is the promotion of regional cooperation. Tajikistan is a key partner in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation or CAREC program, which promotes regional cooperation between the Central Asian Republics, China, and Mongolia.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this 10th anniversary is a time not only to celebrate our fruitful past collaboration, but also to look to the future of this important relationship. There are many challenges ahead. We at ADB are well aware of the need to be more responsive to Tajikistan's development challenges. For the next two years, ADB will commit about 102 million dollars on grant basis to finance a number of the Government's priority programs. ADB's program in Tajikistan is expected to continue supporting the energy and transport sectors, in support of regional cooperation, and policy support in improving investment climate.
Before I conclude, let me take this opportunity to thank our government counterparts, project staff, development partners and civil society colleagues for their support and efforts.
I would also like to thank my colleagues at both Tajikistan Resident Mission and Headquarters for their hard work and dedication.
Ladies and Gentlemen, let me close by once again saying that ADB is proud of its 10-year record of partnership with Tajikistan, and looks forward to many more years of productive collaboration with the government and the Tajik people.
Thank you for your kind attention. And Happy Navruz Holiday to all of you!
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