Energy Minister:
Iran Seeking Greater Role in Tajikistan’s Hydroelectric Projects
TEHRAN - Iran’s Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian says that Tajikistan has a series of important hydroelectric projects to which the Iranian companies can contribute.
Mehrabian made the remarks on Monday on the sidelines of the 15th summit of Iran-Tajikistan intergovernmental economic commission.
The minister said that Tajikistan has nearly 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of hydroelectric power plants, adding that the country plans to increase its electricity generation capacity in the sector to 10 GW.
He said that building hydroelectric power plants seems to be the economically viable option in Tajikistan due to the abundant water resources in the country and its geographical position which is located in mountain ranges.
Mehrabian said he had urged Tajik authorities to try to make use of Iranian firms to develop the Rogun hydropower project.
Iran-Tajikistan Trade
Exchanges Grows 300%
Iranian minister said that the trade and economic volume exchanged between the two countries of Iran and Tajikistan registered a considerable 300% growth in 2022 as compared to a year ago.
he expressed hope that the bilateral trade and economic exchanges would be further expanded in the coming months and years.
The trade and economic delegations between the two countries should be more activated in order to witness further economic growth, Mehrabian emphasized.
Iranian President Raisi made his maiden trip to Tajikistan and in a joint meeting with the Tajik president, eight cooperation documents were signed between the two countries, in which, Iran managed to be an official member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), he said.
With the activation of economic sectors between the two countries, bilateral economic exchanges have been doubled, he underlined.
He then pointed to the economic activities exchanged between the two countries in 2013 and stated that bilateral economic exchanges exceeded in 2013 but after this year, these exchanges decreased.
Therefore, the economic sectors of Iran and Tajikistan must make their utmost efforts in line with developing trade ties more than before, Mehrabian noted, adding that the private sectors of the two countries should be more activated.
Relations between the two countries have not been confined to the economic sector, rather, Iran and Tajikistan have taken giant strides in boosting cultural and historical fields, based on which,17 cooperation documents have been inked in this regard, Daler Juma added.