Azernews.Az

By Kamila Aliyeva

The foreign trade turnover of Tajikistan in the first quarter of this year amounted to $1.3 billion.

The trade turnover increased by $258.5 million or 33.3 percent compared to the same period in 2017, according to the Statistics Agency under the President of Tajikistan.

In January-March 2018, the country exported goods worth over $243 million. Imports of goods for this period amounted to $790 million.

The trade balance was negative and amounted to $547.6 million. Tajikistan traded with 90 foreign countries during this period. Russia and Kazakhstan remain the main partners of the republic.

The volume of the Tajik-Russian trade turnover in the first quarter of this year amounted to $228 million, while the Tajik-Kazakh trade turnover stood at the level of $204 million.

In the structure of foreign trade, China accounts for $130 million, the United States - $108 million and Turkey $ 91 million.

The volume of foreign trade turnover of Tajikistan in 2017 amounted to $3.9 billion, thus showing an increase of 1.1 percent.

Tajikistan is a landlocked, Central Asian country that shares borders with Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Tajik exports are comprised mainly of aluminum, agricultural goods, and light industry.

The low level of product diversification and reliance upon natural resources makes the Tajik economy especially susceptible to volatile commodity prices.

The imports of energy resources and advanced manufacturing products, which arrive largely from China, Russia, and Kazakhstan, have resulted in a significant trade deficit.

Nevertheless, Tajikistan has taken steps to increase its global and regional integration through WTO accession in 2013 and by participating in the CIS free trade agreement.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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