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Uzbekistan to stop gas supplies to Tajikistan

Oil&Gas Materials 24 March 2012 11:18 (UTC +04:00)
Uzbekistan will stop gas supplies to Tajikistan completely on April 1
Uzbekistan to stop gas supplies to Tajikistan

Azerbaijan, Baku, March 24 /Trend E. Kosolapova/

Uzbekistan will stop gas supplies to Tajikistan completely on April 1, a source in the Tajik energy department told "Asia Plus".

The Uzbek party in its letter to Tajik colleagues name lack of natural gas resources as the reason for cutting the supply.

"However, it is difficult to accept these explanations because gas production in Uzbekistan makes up 200 million cubic meters per day," the source said. "This figure is almost equal to the volume of Uzbek gas supplies to Tajikistan in entire 2012".

According to the January 5 agreement signed between the Uzbek company "Uzbektransgazom" and the Tajik company "Tajiktransgas", Uzbekistan should supply Tajikistan with 200 million cubic meters of gas in 2012. The guaranteed volume of gas supplies for the first quarter makes up 45 million cubic meters.

The source believes that Uzbekistan's decision follows the contradiction between the parties with respect to Farkhad dam in Northern Tajikistan.


"The area of the dam and the Farkhad reservoir were leased by Uzbekistan in 1933 for 40 years. The period of leasing has passed, however the neighbors do not want to return the land. At present, Uzbekistan plans to keep the dam and reservoir, but the Tajik party disagrees," he said.

Meanwhile, "Tajiktransgas" did not comment on the situation.

According to the Tajik gas distribution company, the republic has received a 41 million cubic meters of Uzbek gas since January, 1.

According to the agreement, Uzbekistan will have supplied another 4 million cubic meters by April 1, which were paid by Tajikistan in advance.

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