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President Vladimir Putin: Dear Emomali Sharipovich!

First of all, thank you for having accepted our invitation and attending the informal CIS summit.

I would like to begin by immediately expressing our sympathy for the severe climatic conditions that Tajikistan has had to face. I have received your letter in this regard. As you know, we have tried to respond quickly and to send certain types of products that you need above all. I am referring to industrial products: diesel fuel, portable power and things like that. I am ready to discuss in more detail today what Tajikistan needs. And of course we will talk about bilateral relations. I am thinking of our collaboration in the energy sector, the first block of Sangtudin Hydroelectric Power Station began operating in January. I hope that this, too, has played at least some positive role in overcoming the very high winter [electricity consumption] which you are experiencing. And we have other issues to discuss, including military-technical cooperation, military cooperation.

I am very glad to see you. Welcome.

President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

I am pleased to have this opportunity to meet with you.

First of all, I would like to express my sincere words of gratitude for all that you have done for the development of the strategic partnership between Tajikistan and Russia. Thanks to you, our relations have become more harmonious, moved to a qualitatively new stage, and witnessed the implementation of large-scale joint projects in various spheres, projects for which there are no comparisons in the post-Soviet era.

Thank you very much on behalf of the people of Tajikistan for your attention to the tragic events that Tajikistan faced this year. This is the third month of exceptionally cold weather. In the east it is now minus twenty-five. There has never been anything like it in our country's history.

Vladimir Putin: How many years has it been since you had weather like this? You don't remember it ever being so cold?

Emomali Rahmon: Absolutely no one remembers such weather. Well, it has been as cold, but for short periods, two or three days, four days. But this is now in the third month. The situation is catastrophic. According to preliminary estimates, there has been more than a billion dollars damage. The winter crop was completely lost, the horticultural sector was badly hit, and we lost nearly 70 per cent of our livestock. Fully 90 per cent of industry is idle for the third consecutive month. We are supplying electricity to the population: in the capital it's four hours in the morning and four hours in the evening. In the rest of the country there is none. Therefore we were forced to turn to the world community for help. Of course foreign aid will not fundamentally change the situation. It is necessary to build a hydroelectric power station. There is no other way. Tajikistan’s electricity deficit in winter amounts to 20.5 billion kilowatt-hours.