DUSHANBE, November 21, 2009, Asia-Plus — Uzbekistan’s withdrawal from the unified Central Asian power grid that has made Turkmen deliveries to Tajikistan in the winter period impossible is nothing more than a veiled energy blockade against Tajikistan, known Tajik economist, Dr. Hojimahmad Umarov, told Asia-Plus Friday afternoon.
According to him, Tajik authorities should appeal on this subject to international community as soon as possible. “We will not be able to settle this issue at the regional level (within the post-Soviet area) because it is no sense in appealing to the “half-dead” organization such as CIS; as far as the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) is concerned, Uzbekistan quitted this organization,” said Umarov, “There remain the International Court in the Hague and the UN Security Council.”
“I fail to see why do Tajik authorities keep silence? May be there are any restrictive factors we do not know,” said the expert, “However, I think it is necessary to appeal to international community and convince them of the truth of our position,”
He added that “pursuing their own ends, our neighbors want to punish Tajikistan and it is unknown what for; such actions are inadmissible in the modern world.”
“Uzbekistan has always threatened Tajikistan in any form since 1992,” said Dr. Umarov, “If international community continues to be indifferent to that, I shouldn’t wonder if on day Uzbekistan makes no scruple about attacking Tajikistan.”
