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L2114-TAJ: Customs Modernization and Infrastructure Development Program

Welcome Remarks by
Makoto Ojiro
Country Director, Tajikistan Resident Mission
Asian Development Bank

At the Signing Ceremony Co-financing Agreement between ADB and US Government

21 August 2009
Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning and thank you for coming today.

I am delighted to see many familiar and new faces here. I would like to welcome all of you to the ADB's Tajikistan Resident Mission.

Let me first introduce participants of today's event. Ms. Necia Quast, Chargé d' Affaires, US Embassy in Tajikistan. She has brought a large delegation from the Embassy. General Negmatboy Rahmatov, First Deputy Head of Customs Service. Mr. H. Rahimov, Director of the Project Management Unit for the Customs Modernization Project. And our long-standing and very good friend Mr. Negmatjon Buriev, Senior Adviser to the President on Economic Policy, who is concurrently CAREC National Focal Point for Tajikistan.

It was sometime in January this year that I received a letter from the US Ambassador Jacobson proposing to co-finance our ongoing customs modernization project. I felt very pleased with this generous offer of $1.6 million grant, so we started to review this proposal. I must say that the process was not so easy because we have a big bureaucracy in our headquarters in Manila, involving three different departments scrutinizing this proposal. We had to bother the US Embassy officials, particularly the narcotics officer, Mr. Scott Waldo, many times, until we finally came to a mutually acceptable agreement.

So, here we are to sign the cofinancing agreement of $1.6 million between the Asian Development Bank and the Government of the United States of America for construction of two border posts at Kulma pass and Kizilart. Let me show you where they are on the map. Improving border security and customs facilities is a priority for Tajikistan as well as for ADB. This proposal will in fact cofinance the ongoing customs modernization and infrastructure development project that was approved in 2004 and is expected to be completed by December 2010. The project cost is $13.4 million, including ADB's loan of $10.7 million, and government contribution of $2.7 million. This project is being implemented by the Customs Service, and comprises two main components: development of a unified automated information system and modernization of 13 border-posts in the country, including the two, which I have mentioned earlier. These border posts are indicated on the map. The project supports the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program and reinforces investments in transport infrastructure.

ADB is happy to cooperate with the US government, and is thankful for its generous cofinancing offer. We look forward to successfully implementing this project with the Customs Service, Border Guards, and US Authorities.

I have just one regret. Ambassador Jacobson had a brilliant idea for us to fly to Murgab to sign the agreement there, which would have been more exciting than just doing this in our small conference room. So, my suggestion is that when these two border facilities are completed, we all go there to have an opening ceremony.

Now I would like to pass the floor to Ms. Quast. After that, we would also like to hear from Mr. Buriev and General Rahmatov. Thank you for your attention.