Raimonds Gruntins, Regional Affairs Director Europe, and Jordan Karamalakov, Area Manager Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, represented IATA on October 10th in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, to formally present the IATA membership certificate to Somon Air, our 1st ever member in Tajikistan.
Our two colleagues also laid ground for signing a MoU between the government and IATA (hopefully early next year). Jordan and the team have developed a 3-year aviation promotion action plan for the country, which we also discussed with the Minister of Transport and his cabinet
Tajikistan is a landlocked country suffering from poor air connectivity. Progress is slow and requires lots of effort on our part. Poor connectivity also prevents the country from unleashing its economic potential. This is precisely why Somon Air's IATA membership is a truly remarkable milestone in the country's aviation history. This was reflected in the opening remarks of the Transport Minister's speech, using impacting words, and giving an impressive tribute to IATA and aviation.
It was quite surprising to witness the magnitude of the gala dinner and reception that Somon Air organized to celebrate their IATA membership - an event of the utmost importance to them and the country. They put together a remarkable show. More than 150 high-level business executives, government officials, and Ambassadors of the US, France, Russia, UK and Turkey were in attendance. Experiences like these enable us to witness firsthand how important our organization's work is, particularly in regions where it is not just needed but absolutely crucial for both the economy and society.
