Uzbekistan, Tajikistan discuss 2010 gas prices

DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan’s TajikTransGaz reported progress in negotiations to set prices for Uzbek gas in 2010, but an agreement has not been reached.

Saidmamad Sharofiddinov, head of TajikTransGaz, told Radio Free Europe (RFE) that the two countries hope to conclude their talks in the next two weeks.

Uzbekistan continues to insist on a price of US $240 per 1,000 cubic metres of gas for Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, although world gas prices have fallen. Sharofiddinov told RFE he would like to see a 30 percent price reduction for 2010.

Kyrgyzstan pays the same price as Tajikistan for Uzbek gas, while other countries in the region pay less. This has led to speculation that the high price for the two countries is an attempt to influence their plans to build hydroelectric plants on cross-border rivers that will reduce water for irrigation in the Fergana Valley.