DUSHANBE, April 14, 2011, Asia-Plus — The situation when foreign country dominates Tajikistan’s fuel market poses threat to stability of our country, Suhrob Sharipov, director of the center for Strategic Studies under the President of Tajikistan, announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on April 14.
“The situation when one foreign state accounts for 90 percent of Tajikistan’s fuel imports may have serious social consequences,” Sharipov noted.
He noted that the antimonopoly agency of the country must work more actively in that area. Sharipov expressed hope that the new head of the country’s antimonopoly agency realized the seriousness of the situation and would work properly to tackle that problem. “It is to be noted that very serious forces and lobbers will confront him,” said the Tajik think tank head. “We all understand clearly what forces and what money that side has, but it is necessary to withstand this confrontation. It is necessary to break up this fuel monopoly lobby and corrupt component in this issue, when large companies have placemen in the government and various public structures and pay them for lobbying their interests.”
If Tajikistan does not want to be dependent in this issue, it is necessary to break up the fuel monopoly. “We must create a normal market of competitive companies working in the fuel market; more domestic companies must work in this market,” said Sharipov, “The country should not depend on whims of state-run companies of one foreign country.”
According to him, the government has already realized this threat. “A decision has been made to break up this monopoly and begin to deliver oil products from other countries as well,” noted Tajik senior expert, “It is necessary to organize delivery of oil products also from Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and other countries.”
We will recall that Russia that provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s fuel imports has raised gas tariffs for Tajikistan again. By Russian government’s decree the export duty on light oil for countries that are not members of the Customs Union rises from US$244.6 to US$283.9 beginning on April 1.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEI), Tajikistan has imported 62,012 tons of oil products from Russia over the first two months of this year; Russia accounted for 78.6 percent of Tajikistan’s fuel imports over the report period; Russian company, Gazprom-Tajikistan, reportedly dominates Tajik fuel market.
