DUSHANBE, January 22, 2015, Asia-Plus — Energy ministries of Tajikistan and the Russian Federation have reportedly discussed and endorsed the indicative fuel balance for 2015.
“Under the indicative fuel balance endorsed for this year, Russia is expected to deliver 830,000 tons of oil products free of duty to Tajikistan this year,” Tajik Minister of Energy and Water Resources Usmonali Usmonzoda told journalists in Dushanbe on January 21.
According to him, Tajikistan last year managed to import only 576,000 tons of duty-free oil products from Russia though the indicative fuel balance for 2014 provided for delivering 1 million tons of duty-free oil products to Tajikistan.
We will recall that Tajikistan was exempted from paying Russian tariffs on oil and gas exports from 1995-2010 and Russia cancelled Tajikistan’s tax exemption on May 1, 2010 that resulted in gasoline prices rising in the country.
The agreement on duty-free Russian oil product deliveries to Tajikistan was signed between the governments of Russia and Tajikistan in Moscow on February 6, 2013
Under this agreement, the sides consider and endorse the indicative fuel balance for the next calendar before October 1 of each year. Fuels delivered in addition to the indicative fuel balance will be liable to export duty.
Russian oil products delivered to Tajikistan in the volumes not exceeding those agreed on indicative balance are not subject to re-export to the third countries.
