DUSHANBE, July 29, 2010, Asia-Plus — Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi told reporters on July 29 that issues related to the export of Russian oil products to Tajikistan will be reviewed at a special meeting of the Tajik-Russian commission for trade economic cooperation.
“They sides are currently specifying the date and venue for the meeting,” said Zarifi, “Anyway, the meeting will take place in Dushanbe or Moscow in the near future.” They will discuss only one issue – the export of oil products from Russia to Tajikistan, he added.
Zarifi hopes for positive solution of this issue. “There are preconditions for positive solution of this issue for Tajikistan,” the minister noted. The sides will consider issues related to export duties on light oil for Tajikistan.
Tajik foreign minister noted that Russia was continuing to remain strategic partner of Tajikistan.
We will recall that on May 1, 2010, Russia introduced the export duty on light oil for Tajikistan at the rate of 203.7 U.S. dollars per one ton and on June 1, the export duty was raised to 209.1 U.S. dollars. Introduction of the export duty on light oil has resulted in gasoline prices rising some 20 percent in Tajikistan in late May. The price of one liter of 95-octane gasoline in Dushanbe has risen from 3.90 somoni to 4.40, with similar price rises in other parts of the country.
Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov last month sent an official letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, asking to consider the possibility of lifting export duties on light oil for Tajikistan.
Russian media report Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had been receiving Russian fuel duty free since 1995, in keeping with protocols to the government-to-government agreements on the establishment of a free trade zone within the CIS area. However, Russian customs started collecting a duty on oil products exported to Kyrgyzstan on April 1 and to Tajikistan on May 1.
