DUSHANBE, February 17, 2009, Asia-Plus — Chairman of the Association of Political Scientists of Tajikistan, Abdughani Mamadazimov, considers that relations between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are not yet based on the free economy market completely and notes that time has come to build relations with Uzbekistan on the basis of free market economy.
“Uzbekistan has already made shift to market practice in shipment of natural gas to Tajikistan, raising gas prices every year,” said Mamadazimov, “In my opinion, if we use the winter/summer power exchange in the future as well, there ought to shift to the power supplies volumes of equal worth.”
We will recall that Tajikistan supplies 900 million kWh of electricity to Uzbekistan in summer period in exchange for 600 million kWh of electricity it receives from Uzbekistan in autumn-winter period.
According to Mamadazimov, establishment of equal power supplies volumes will allow saving water in the summer in order to generate more electrical power in winter period and thereby alleviate electricity rationing.
“A complicated negotiating process is currently going to restore mutually beneficial relations between Central Asia’s,” the expert said, noting that the water-management issue constitutes a major source of tension in Central Asia.
“In the Soviet time, our neighbors had been providing us with gas and oil in exchange for water,” said Mamadazimov, “And it is now necessary to return to this practice, of course on other conditions that would meet interests of all sides.”
He added that the upcoming arrival of the Uzbek delegation led by Vice-Premier Rustam Azizov in Dushanbe could be the first step in that direction. He expressed hope that progress in seeking ways to establish mutual understanding in energy supply discussions between Dushanbe and Tashkent would improve bilateral relations between the two countries.
