Bilateral meeting with H.E. Nigina Anvari, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Tajikistan

Rome - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, and Her Excellency Nigina Anvari, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Tajikistan, met on the sidelines of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe to discuss ways to further strengthen relations between FAO and Tajikistan.

The Director-General expressed his appreciation for Tajikistan’s active engagement with FAO, noting that it was the second visit of the Deputy Minister to FAO over the last year, and that recently the President of Tajikistan had also paid a visit to FAO.

The Deputy Minister informed the Director-General that after the visit of the President, the Government was even more committed to raise the relations with FAO to a new level. She informed that Tajikistan was already supporting many FAO initiatives, highlighting that Tajikistan was the first country in the region to join the Hand-in-Hand Initiative. She further informed that Tajikistan was also participating in the FAO One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative promoting apricots, as Tajikistan produces 16 percent of the global production.

The Deputy Minister added that FAO’s assistance was essential for implementing the second phase of Tajikistan’s agricultural reforms. She also informed the Director-General that with FAO’s assistance, the country had submitted the nomination for the designation of the Hisor Valley as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). The Deputy Minister also stated that Tajikistan had recently joined the FAO 1000 Digital Villages Initiative.

Both agreed to continue working together to accelerate agrifood systems transformation in the country, and beyond.