Tuesday, June 19, 2012 -
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan agreed in talks over the weekend to open up new wholesale markets on their border as part of a strategy to boost bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
The two sides also discussed allowing for free passage of mail transport and speeding up cross-border people passage, and laying the needed infrastructure for the massive market areas.
These issues were considered at a session of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation held in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Friday and Saturday, the Kyrgyz independent news agency 24.kg reported Tuesday.
The session, jointly chaired by the ministers of transport of both countries, ordered their nation power grid companies to prepare infrastructure at the frontier zones where the wholesale markets will be set up.
The two sides also agreed to streamline cross-border procedures for the market traders and simplify identification documentation for citizens of both countries.
Trade turnover between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan came to around $15 million in the first four months of this year. Of that amount, Tajikistan imported $11.6 million worth of Kyrgyz goods.
The session also tasked officials of the border territories with formulating and adopting programs to expand cultural and humanitarian collaboration to support their business interaction with a greater understanding of their different ways and behaviors.