President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon has proposed building a large oil refinery in Central Asia using the latest technologies. He made the statement at the informal consultative meeting 'Central Asia – Azerbaijan' in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.
'At the previous summit, we placed special emphasis on taking concrete measures to develop cooperation in all areas. I stress our country's readiness to continue joint efforts for their practical implementation. Tajikistan has always been and remains a consistent supporter of a pragmatic and mutually beneficial approach to important issues on the regional agenda. It is known that the tense situation currently developing in regional and global energy markets directly affects our interests as well. In this regard, I would like to elaborate on the issue of energy security, one of the key factors of sustainable development. I have previously raised this issue at our previous meetings. Let us all, taking into account the realities, seriously think about this pressing issue. In concrete terms, I propose instructing our relevant agencies to study the construction of a large oil refinery in the region with the involvement of the latest technologies,' he said.
Rahmon noted that, of course, the internal needs of the region's countries for critically important types of petroleum products should be taken into account first and foremost.