Your Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan!
Distinguished Guests!
Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is with deep sincerity that I welcome this gathering of highly esteemed guests made possible by His Highness for the inauguration ceremony of Serena Dushanbe Hotel.

Building of this modern edifice that was directly funded by the AKDN and involved almost 300 specialists and highly qualified workers was brought to completion, being a culmination of close and long-term partnership between the Republic of Tajikistan and the network agencies of this honorable organization.

Permit me to express, on behalf of the government, my wholehearted thanks to the institutions of the network and His Highness in particular for this valuable contribution that was also made possible by builders, engineers and architects and all those who took active part in erecting this modern edifice.

During the 20 years of independence we always felt that the humanitarian aid and tangible contributions of constructive cooperation with the Aga Khan Foundation and we will always feel grateful for this.

It is noteworthy that the horizons of our mutual partnership have significantly broadened and today encompass diverse avenues of social and economic development projects.

The national government places a special emphasis to the implementation of planned and ongoing projects within the framework of mutual partnership between the Aga Khan Foundation and the government of Tajikistan taking account of their significance to social and economic development of the country.

In this connection, commissioning of Dushanbe Serena Hotel whose building design fuses tradition of the national art with contemporary design elements is a very meaningful phenomenon.

This five-star hotel with its particular style will add to the fabric of the city of Dushanbe a fresh outlook with its suites, office spaces and conference rooms that meet international standards with recreational and health facilities which it is hoped will further the development of the service sector that corresponds to contemporary conditions.

The operation of Dushanbe Serena Hotel alongside its service operations will serve as an important factor and give a kick-start to development of such an important sector of economy as tourism.

In this connection, it should be mentioned that in the last few years, as far as the service sector is concerned, which represents an important avenue of tourism development, great deal of efforts have been made in Tajikistan.

In order to attract investment to the sector, we have created necessary a legal environment that has prompted local and foreign investment which resulted in the construction of a series of five-star hotels, some of which have launched operations.

There is one more point to be made, which is that the inauguration of this facility has a social significance, since it has facilitated the creation of new jobs. It is presumed that for the operation of this facility, some 200 experts of diverse professional backgrounds were brought in, of whom 90% were the nationals of Tajikistan.

I would like to underline here that for the further development of our homeland, namely our sovereign capital, we will provide all the necessary conditions.

As city planning and development is a noble tradition of out ancient Tajik nation, it is our duty to continue this commitment, as we pass on a prosperous and well-developed nation to the future generations. At the same time, I must say that keeping clean the gardens and flower plots of streets and avenues as well as the installations of social and recreational significance is a duty of each and every dweller of the capital city and country alike.

In conclusion, I would like to once again extend my gratitude to the various programs of the AKDN and personally to His Highness for his endeavors and continuing efforts in the creation of Serena Dushanbe Hotel and wish the staff and management every success possible.

I express hope that the fateful partnership between the national government and the influential Foundation (AKF) in the field of social and economic development will further deeper and widen.

With these auspicious intentions, I wish all of you prosperity and good fortune.

Thank you!