DUSHANBE, July 27, Asia-Plus — The First Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister, Amonullo Ashour, told a July 26 news conference in Dushanbe that the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT) had managed to convince the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) that order A-4“ issued by the former Ministry of Communications is illegal.
Under this order, calls from fixed-line phones to cellular phones should be paid at the rate of 12 dirams per minute.
The deputy minister noted that a special meeting on this subject with participation of representatives from a MEDT and cellular providers was held at a MoTC yesterday. “I have formed the impression that Deputy Transport and Communications Minister, Beg Zuhurov, who supervises the communications sector, is not well aware of antimonopoly rules and law regulating the communications sector,” said Ashour, “Besides, he cannot behave himself properly.”
According to some source, Ashour has filed suit against Beg Zuhurov, accusing the latter of insulting him and abasing his honor and dignity
As it had been reported earlier, MEDT accuses Tajik telecom, the state-owned national telecommunications operator of Tajikistan, and the former Ministry of Communications of violating the country’s antimonopoly legislation.
According to the MEDT, a February 6, 2006 ruling by the former Ministry of Communications has created unequal opportunities for electrical communications operators through setting unfoundedly high rates for some of them and unfoundedly low rates for others.
A June 20 meeting at the MEDT on this subject noted that study of the materials had revealed violation of the antimonopoly legislation. It was established that Tajik Telecom had set favorable rates for operators in which it owns share stakes — closed joint-stock company (CJSC) TT-Mobile (MLT) and TK-Mobile.
Since Tajik Telecom ignored ruling by the antimonopoly commission to review the rates and lower unfoundedly high rates set for some communications operators, the antimonopoly commission opened a case against sub-division of the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) and Tajik Telecom on charges of violating the country’s laws on natural monopolies, on competition and restriction of monopolistic activity on commodity markets al limitation.
