DUSHANBE, May 25. “Asia Plus” — No doubt that the blockage of rail wagons loaded with cargoes for Tajikistan on the territory of Uzbekistan is one of elements of Uzbekistan’s policy aimed to hamper the development of Tajikistan as sovereign republic, a Tajik expert Zulfikor Ismoiliyen told the AP.
He believes that this step may pose direct threat to Tajikistan’s food security. “The blockage of rail wagons is the direct continuation of such Uzbekistan’s policy against Tajikistan as mining of Tajik-Uzbek border, toughening of visa regime between the two countries, frequent increase in natural gas prices for Tajikistan and suspension of gas supplies, refusal to transit electricity from Turkmenistan and the collapse of the United Central Asian Energy System,” he said.
He is confident that Tajikistan should revise its participation in CIS, CSTO, EurAsEC, SCO and other organizations which do not pay required attention to the given problem.
“It is nonsense when one member state of the organization introduces a blockade against another member state,” he stressed. “Why Russia, Tajikistan’s strategic partner, keeps silence?! Maybe Russia and Uzbekistan have common plan against Tajikistan or perhaps Uzbekistan performs direct orders from Moscow?”
