TURKMENBASHI, Turkmenistan, October 8. Azerbaijan and Central Asia have significant potential to move toward closer economic, transport and energy cooperation, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said on Oct. 8 at the eighth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and Azerbaijan in Avaza, Turkmenistan, Trend's special correspondent reports.
“Today, we have an opportunity to take stock of the work carried out and identify further prospects for our regional cooperation. At the same time, priority should be given to the agreements reached within this format as one of the main guidelines for further work. This will enable us to effectively realize the potential of our region in the interests of future generations.
“Central Asia and Azerbaijan have significant potential to move toward closer economic, transport and energy cooperation. In this regard, I would like to outline several areas that, in our view, deserve particular attention.
“First and foremost, this concerns strengthening industrial cooperation. Our countries have significant resource potential, which opens up broad opportunities for creating joint ventures and industrial complexes, as well as processing natural resources,” he said.
Rahmon also stressed the importance of developing digital and green technologies, promoting innovation and using artificial intelligence in industry.
“I believe it is important to focus on supply chains, as well as exchanging experience in adapting products to the environmental and technical requirements of external markets.
“Cooperation in the agricultural sector is also becoming increasingly important. In this regard, the issue of access to fuel and lubricants should be objectively addressed. This is particularly important for the sustainability of agricultural production and strengthening food security in our countries,” he said.
Rahmon noted that Tajikistan is interested in expanding cooperation in the energy sector.
“I propose considering the possibility of developing a list of priority energy projects and identifying potential mechanisms for their joint financing. This includes developing and implementing a project to build a large oil refinery based on the latest technologies, taking into account the needs of the entire region.
“Given the dynamic development of green energy and its importance, we also propose developing a regional green transition strategy,” he said.
