SANGTUDA, Tajikistan, July 31 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian and Tajik presidents, Dmitry Medvedev and Emomali Rakhmon, led a ceremony on Friday to open a hydroelectric power plant built jointly by the two countries.

The Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric plant in the Khatlon province of southwest Tajikistan is the first major Russian-Tajik joint project since the Soviet era. The construction began in late 1980s, but was frozen after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

The Russian president said at the ceremony: "Russian and Tajik engineers and workers have acquired useful experience of joint construction of large facilities here... I am sure that we will use this in implementing new major projects, not only in the hydroelectric power industry."

He called the completion of the plant "a landmark event" in the history of bilateral relations, and said the countries are now preparing several new projects.

"We are preparing a number of new documents on cooperation in the energy sphere and geological prospecting," Medvedev said.

Russia holds a stake of just under 66.4% in the Sangtuda-1 plant, and Tajikistan has 16.45%. The plant, located some 160 km (99 miles) to the south of the capital Dushanbe, is expected to produce 12% of the country's electricity. The plant is scheduled to reach full capacity in two months.