EMOMALI RAHMON MEETS WITH IMF REPRESENTATIVE FOR TAJIKISTAN

              Dushanbe, May 12. (NIAT "Khovar"). — Today President Emomali Rahmon received the Head of the International Monetary Fund's Group for Tajikistan Axel Schimmelpfenning, who had arrived in Dushanbe for the participation in the scheduled meeting of Tajikistan's donor countries and organizations.              During the meeting, current issues and prospects of Tajikistan-IMF cooperation were discussed.              President Emomali expressed gratitude to the International Monetary Fund for providing Tajikistan with financial assistance in the sum of US $116m, of which US $40m would be granted already this year. He also mentioned with satisfaction with the support of Tajikistan's request on the increase in the volumes of that aid.              Axel Schimmelpfenning said that after reviewing current results of the Program for Poverty Reduction and Promoting Economic Development, now implemented in Tajikistan with the IMF's support, the Fund could provide with the second tranche of its economic aid in the sum of US $30m starting from September this year.               The interlocutors also discussed other ways of rendering assistance to Tajikistan, solution of the problem of cotton-growers' debts, improvement of investments climate in the country and development of regional cooperation in Central Asia.               It was stressed that a more substantial talk concerning the determination of volumes of new financial and technical aid to Tajikistan in the period of the global financial crisis and implementation of current and future projects and programs would take place the following day, May 13, at the meeting of chief executives of the Republic's relevant structures and representatives of donor countries and organizations.