History of the Chamber

In order to develop foreign economic relations with near and far-abroad countries, to assist domestic business and trade organizations in strengthening domestic trade, the Chamber of Commerce of the Tajik SSR was established in Dushanbe by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Tajik SSR No. 130 of 30.03.1960. On the public basis, Alikul Aliyev, Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Committee of the Tajik SSR, was appointed Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce.

The main mission of the Chamber was to intensify trade and economic cooperation, unite business and trade organizations engaged in business and industrial activities, represent their common interests, assist in the trade development in promoting domestic goods abroad and business partnerships with Chambers of commerce and export companies, participate in national and international exhibitions/fairs, symposia, conferences.

The Chamber began to provide expertise of food and industrial goods only in 1963. Act of expert examination of the Chamber of Tajikistan is a legal founding document which did not raise doubts among exporters, both in the territory of the former USSR, and among foreign partners, when disputes was considered in court. Members of the Chamber are invited to participate in republican and international conferences, symposia, exhibitions and fairs.

The Chamber concludes Agreements on Cooperation with the Chambers of Commerce of the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan.

The Chamber conducts a survey among domestic enterprises interested in establishing direct industrial, trade and scientific relations, creating joint ventures with Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia. The Chamber provides practical assistance to its members in conducting trade operations on the foreign market. The issues of organizing a comprehensive advisory, legal service, collecting orders for members of the Chamber try who have the right to enter the foreign market, introducing new forms of economic cooperation with foreign countries are being considered.

In 1972, the Chamber became the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of the Tajik SSR and became part of the USSR CCI. In 1977, Ortik Kurbanov, a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Tajik SSR who held the post of First Secretary of the City Committee of the Party in Konibodom, Matchi and Isfara for 20 years, was elected Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Tajik SSR.

Over the past years, the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), Sugd and Khatlon regions have been developed. By 1981, CCI conducted expertise of 60 items of products exported to 50 countries in the world.

In 1983, Kamol Sufiyev, who served as Minister of Horticulture of the Tajik SSR, was elected Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tajikistan.

In 1985, a new Charter of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Tajik SSR was adopted, providing for the expansion of services in foreign trade, including expertise, issuance of certificates of origin of goods, foreign exhibitions organization, development of information services, assistance to patenting, etc.

The Chamber became the leading organization in the country for technical translations from foreign languages and the only institution for the expertise of foreign goods. The advertising and translation service regularly conducted information work among enterprises. In 1988, the CCI has been transferred to self-financing organization. Self-supporting firms “Dushanbeexpertiza”, “Khatlonexpertiza” and “Pamirexpertiza” have been established.

In 1988-1989, in connection with the reorganization of state trade in the USSR, private enterprises were emerging in Tajikistan. CCI solved the issues of finding reliable partners, organizing international symposia with the company Siemens (Germany), as well as firms from Sweden and Yugoslavia.

In October 1996, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan was admitted to the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Agreement on Cooperation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the field of business risk management and economic security of business entities was signed in Moscow. The Chamber concludes Agreements on Cooperation with CCIs of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, as well as with the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines (ICCIM).

In 1997, in accordance with the Decision of CCI RT “On the establishment of regional Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan”, “Leninabadexpertiza” was transformed into Leninabad/Sugd Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry headed by Rakhim Abdullayev, “Khatlonexpertiza” – the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Khatlon region under the leadership of Tursunboy Isokov, and in GBAO, the “Pomyroblupravleniye” of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan, headed by Kalandarbek Asalbekov, was formed.

May 22, 1998, the country’s parliament adopted the Law “On the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan”, which determined the legal status of the Chamber and expanded the legal framework of its activities. Its adoption considered a big step in the development and strengthening of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan, which made it possible to more fully perform the functions of representation and protection of the interests of entrepreneurs, including small and medium businesses, transfer to the international standards of the world chambers of commerce and industry.

The regular III Congress of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan held on October 30, 1998, was the impetus for the revitalization of the Chamber’s activity. Changes and additions made to the Charter of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry necessitated its structural revision, strengthening of its membership base and expansion of its activities with near and far-abroad countries.

October 16, 2003, during the regular IV Congress of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan, Said Sharif was elected Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In accordance with the Law “On the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan”, the Charter was revised and approved by the IV Congress of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan in order to:

• Implement the State Program of the Republic of Tajikistan on the formation and development of modern industrial and commercial infrastructure for the growth of exports of products and services;
• Attract foreign investment and establish contacts between the business environment and trade and economic missions of near and far-abroad countries, creating conditions for integration into the global economic system;
• Organize international business and trade forums;
• Expand interaction with city, region and district state structures of the country on the organization of exhibitions and fairs;
• Organize abroad international exhibitions and fairs;
• Establish constructive dialogue between businessmen and state authorities, protect and represent their interests in the Government and abroad;
• Provide methodical consulting assistance on product certification to enterprises, companies, associations, unions;
• Improve the efficiency of promoting domestic competitive goods to the external market;
• Open regional offices of the CCI RT in the regions of the Republic;
• Develop new services;
• Improve the qualifications of specialists of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan who are members of the “CIS CCI Expert” system, “Unified system of expert assessment of the quantity, quality and completeness of goods”; ISO international standards.

The CCI system includes 500 large banks, associations, unions and business associations, joint ventures, each of which has dozens and hundreds of business structures operating almost in all sectors of the economy. Many foreign firms and organizations are also members of the Chamber. All this serve as an extremely convenient support for foreign investors seeking to enter the market of Tajikistan. This is confirmed by the activities of the Chambers of commerce and industry in GBAO, Sugd and Khatlon regions.

At the same time, the Chamber is engaged in issuing certificates of origin of goods and conducting an independent examination of quality and compliance.

Since the IV Congress, the Chamber has strengthened its status as the most important public association in Tajikistan and was firmly protected the interests of domestic entrepreneurs. CCI RT has sufficient experience of effective and mutually beneficial cooperation based on the principles of openness, honesty and mutual assistance. The basis of the successful partnership is mutual interest in creating favorable conditions for the development of trade and economic international relations, attracting foreign investment in the national economy, expanding the export of domestic goods and services, assisting businesses in developing foreign markets, protecting the economic interests of Tajik entrepreneurs outside the country.

The geography of CCI RT foreign trade relations is quite wide and has a positive trend. As for interregional and cross-border contacts, they are indeed one of the most promising forms with a view to long-term cooperation. Direct links between the Commonwealth regions allow to strengthen mutually beneficial trade and economic relations. They are aimed at encouraging the participation of the regions of the mountainous republic in integration processes, the implementation projects related to mining, light industry, the fuel and energy complex, engineering, transport infrastructure, agriculture, the possibility of developing contacts in the field of modern technologies, creating joint ventures.

The regular V Congress of the CCI RT has become an important event in the business life of the republic. The main objective of the Congress was the development and strengthening of cooperation between state and private sectors. Within its framework, the effectiveness of steps taken was evaluated and new directions for the work of the Chamber were outlined.

Five years of CCI RT operation were marked by important events: the admission of new members, the creation of the website www.tpp.tj, the establishment of the Information Business Center, the Information Fund, the Center for Legal Support and the Development of the Institute of Arbitration Court and International Commercial Arbitration, Association of Digital Identification “GS1 – Tajikistan”, LLC “Sayeh Bozorgon”.

The creation of conditions for the investment and innovation markets infrastructure formation through exhibition and fair activities is of particular importance. The Chamber was directly involved in the discussion of draft laws on tax, land, customs policy, as well as the creation of free economic zones. It actively promotes the development of exports of goods and services and attraction private capital to the economy. Bilateral cooperation with many world chambers is an indicator of the CCI RT growing role. The past period is marked by the establishment of new and the expansion of foreign economic relations with the business community and chambers of commerce and industry of the CIS and non-CIS countries. Signed agreements on cooperation, joint activities, information exchange, the current legal framework of inter-chamber cooperation create the necessary conditions in a large number of areas, most important of which is business support. A high degree of business confidence in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan contributes to the competitiveness of business structures, both domestically and internationally.

As for the today main areas of work, they are formulated in the Message of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon to the delegates of the V Congress of the CCI RT. This is, above all, the integration of the country’s economy into the world economy, including the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of Tajik businesses abroad, as well as facilitating the process of Tajikistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Addressing economic problems is impossible without the consolidation and participation of the business community, production reconstruction and modernization, the creation of new jobs. Support for small and medium-sized businesses is an issue of utmost importance. CCI RT effectively cooperates with all structural units of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on the basis of continuous dialogue.

The Chamber is interested in technological and investment cooperation in the real sector of the economy. The organization of joint ventures with the participation of private capital will contribute to the promotion of domestic products in the world market. CCI RT is ready to consider any proposals for improving work, it will do everything possible for the development of small, medium and large businesses. The list of tasks of the Chamber includes providing CCI members and business associations of the republic with information of economic importance necessary for doing business. Delegates of the Congress have approved the Report on the implementation of the Activity Program of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan for 2003-2008 and the Draft Activity Program of the CCI RT for 2009-2013. The decisions made have become an effective platform for further strengthening the position of the Chamber of Tajikistan on the world stage.

Strengthening the international position of Tajikistan helps domestic and business circles to develop external markets, since advancing in this direction makes it possible to more fully use our foreign economic capacity. And these activities require partnership. The authority of the Chamber of Tajikistan contributes to the formation of national entrepreneurship positive business image, the development and strengthening of international relations with the business community, Chambers of Commerce and Industry of near and far abroad countries.