Tajikistan, Uzbekistan Negotiate Gas Deal

Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are in early stages of negotiations to provide Tajikistan with gas supplies this year, Universal Newswire reported quoting an Uzbek official.

The unidentified official also acknowledged that Uzbekistan terminated supplies of natural gas to Tajikistan on Monday, the end of their annual contract term.

“Yes, we have halted gas supplies under the contract,” the embassy source said.

Saydahmad Sharofuddinov, director general of Tajik state gas firm Tajiktransgas, told the Avesta.tj news agency his company would send a delegation to Uzbekistan within days to tie down a contract, Universal Newswire added.

Tajikistan acquired 145 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan last year at the cost of $300 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Earlier in December, the Uzbek state gas supplier Uztransgaz said that growing domestic demands would make it unable to sell gas to Tajikistan after the expiration of their 2012 contract.