OREANDA-NEWS. April 18, 2008. Representatives of the shareholders of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will begin a visit to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan on Monday in Dushanbe with a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon. In Turkmenistan, where they will arrive on Wednesday, the EBRD Board Directors will also meet Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, reported the press-centre of EBRD.

Further meetings in both countries will provide the shareholder representatives with the opportunity to discuss recent developments in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan with government representatives, members of the diplomatic and business communities and representatives of civil society. They will also have the opportunity to visit EBRD projects.

Country visits are an important opportunity for firsthand accounts of developments in the EBRD’s 29 countries of operations and are regularly conducted by the Board Directors. EBRD President Jean Lemierre visited Turkmenistan in March where he met President Berdymukhamedov for the first time.

Representatives of the Board in the delegation to Tajikistan will be Ole Hovland, representing Norway, Finland and Latvia; Hiroyuki Kubota, representing Japan; Gonzalo Ramos, representing Spain and Mexico; Simon Ray, representing the United Kingdom; Rainald Roesch, representing Germany; and Irena Sodin, representing Slovenia, Belgium and Luxemburg. In Turkmenistan the delegation will be joined by Manuel Sager, representing Switzerland, Turkey, Liechtenstein, Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Serbia and Montenegro.

Central Asia is a region to which the EBRD attaches great importance. Since the adoption of its new strategy in May 2006 in the context of its regular Capital Resources Review, the Bank’s activities in the region have increased significantly. EBRD projects cover many sectors from power and energy to microfinance and agribusiness to infrastructure.