Thursday, April 26, 2012 -
Bhutan extended an invitation to Tajikistan Wednesday to establish diplomatic ties, the Tajik government said.
The written offer was handed to Tajikistan’s Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov in Dushanbe by an envoy of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan.
The letter, delivered by Special Envoy Lyonpo Kinzang Dorji, said Bhutan wished to arrange diplomatic, trade and economic relations with Tajikistan, according to the Tajik Prime Minister’s Office press service.
Aqilov expressed favor with the idea, noting that their two countries are mountainous providing similar opportunities and potential resources.
The Tajik premier suggested that they could collaborate by sharing expertise in the areas of agriculture, tourism, and construction of hydropower facilities, the AsiaPlus.tj news agency reported, citing the government report.
Bhutan is a tiny landlocked country sandwiched between India and China, and sits on the eastern end of the Himalayas.
Although the kingdom has huge hydropower resources, the government is currently focused on developing the country’s agricultural sector and mountain tourism to generate national income.
Tajikistan, a landlocked republic with few mineral resources, is attempting to capitalize on its own hydropower potential, much to the chagrin of its downstream neighbors who claim the dams will reduce irrigation water supplies to their cash crops.