KONIBODOM, January 9, Asia-Plus – Labor migrants from the northern district of Konibodom (Sughd Province) staying in Russia and other CIS countries remitted 5.104722 US dollars and 13.962809 Russian rubles to their relatives in 2005, which is US$2 million more compared to a total amount of funds remitted by them to Konibodom in 2004, Asia-Plus has learned from Rustamjon Qodirov, deputy Konibodom mayor.    

“In 2004, 16,000 people left Konibodom for Russia and other CIS countries seeking better employment opportunities, while in 2005, the number of Konibodom residents, who left for Russia and other CIS countries in search of seasonal work, reached almost 20,000 people,” the Asia-Plus interlocutor said.  

KULOB, January 9,


Asia

-Plus — Initiative group for establishment of the


Medicinal


Information


Center


in Kulob has received an official consent for functioning and been given a status of public association entitled “Farmokon”.  

The “Farmokon” chief Jumakhon Nazarov has told Asia-Plus, “Participating in one of projects managed by international organization ZdravPlus, members of the initiative group and recruited skilled pharmacologists conducted 54 seminars in all ten districts of the Kulob region of Khatlon Province.” 

According to Nazarov, their center will be engaged not only in carrying out explanatory work among the population on how to handle and store medicinal preparations but also in organizing anti-drug and AIDS-prevention campaigns among youth.  

DUSHANBE, January 9, Asia-Plus — For normal provision of the Dushanbe population with heat we need natural gas at rate of 55,000 cubic meters per hour, while “Tojikgaz” (Tajik state gas concern) supplies us only some 50 percent of the planned volume,” Rahmatullo Qalandarov, engineer-in-chief at the Dushanbe thermoelectric power plant, said in his interview with Asia-Plus.  

According to him, they received only 14 million cubic meters of gas in December instead of the originally planned 40 million cubic meters.  “According to our estimates, the same amount we will receive in January as well,” said Qalandarov, “Tojikgaz” and “Barqi Tojik” (Tajik electric system) administrations have concluded an agreement on supply of 230 million cubic meters of natural gas to the Dushanbe thermoelectric power plant during the winter period.” 

Besides, “Barqi Tojik” should supply 25,000 tons of fuel oil to the Dushanbe thermoelectric power plant, according to him.  “To date, we have received 21,000 tons and the fuel oil supply is still ongoing,” the Asia-Plus interlocutor said.   

“The Dushanbe thermoelectric power plant is not able to work in full capacity because of lack of enough amount of fuel,” Mr. Qalandarov said. 

DUSHANBE, January 9, Asia-Plus — “Debt of the public for electricity and natural gas is reducing and to date, collection of funds from the public for natural gas has amounted to 80%-90% and collection of funds from the public for electricity has amounted to 90%-95%,” Deputy Dushanbe Mayor, Fayzullo Isupov, remarked at a meeting of the commission for monitoring the situation with provision of the population with gas and electricity that was held on January 6. 

Heads of the Dushanbe electricity, gas and heat supplies services reported on the work carried out following applications by the city-dwellers.  

During the meeting it was noted that in microrayon 91, 24 of 37 residential buildings were providing with heat, in microrayon 92 – 27 of 34 residential buildings. 

Deputy Dushanbe Mayor, Fayzullo Isupov, telling the meeting proposed to solve the problem with regular gas supplies due to saving on the city’s thermoelectric power stations.  

Firs deputy head of “Tojikgaz” (Tajik state gas concern) State Unitary Enterprise, Shavkat Shoimov, noted that “Barqi Tojik” (Tajik electric System) Company having the Dushanbe thermoelectric power station under its authority was in debt to “Tojikgaz” to the tune of some US$1 million.  

Deputy head of the “Barqi Tojik” Company, Jamshed Mansurov, for his part, noted that they have not been able to pay their debt because the Tajik Aluminum Plant (TadAZ) has not yet paid his debt of some US$18 million to them.  

DUSHANBE, January 9, Asia-Plus — To provide assistance in organizing regular electricity supplies to Dushanbe the Energy Ministry has set up three teams comprising specialists from Varzob hydropower plant, Dushanbe electric system and Dushanbe thermal electric power station.  

According to information from the Energy Ministry’s press service, cold weather means consumption of electric power sharply increases and large working load on transformers leads to interruptions in electricity supplies.   

“The ministry has passed a resolution obliging all electricity supply services of Dushanbe to make raids to reveal unauthorized connection to the electricity transmission sources and opportunely repair transformers and sub-stations in case of accidents,” the source said.  

The source has also noted that now, the operational commission at the ministry will hold meetings three times a week to discuss the electricity supply situation.  

DUSHANBE, January 9, Asia-Plus – The situation with a sudden spike in gasoline prices in Tajikistan is gradually coming back to normal and experts from the Ministry of Economy and Trade (MET) link this to expiry of a term of ban imposed by Kazakhstan’s authorities on export of fuel from the country in connection with harvest season.  

As it had been reported earlier, Kazakhstan imposed ban on export of the diesel fuel for the period from July 1 to October 15 in order to ensure that sufficient reserves remain available for the harvest season and on October 11, Kazakhstan’s Government passed a resolution extending ban on fuel exports till December 31 2005.

The source in the MET has told Asia-Plus that compared to late December 2005 an average price of gasoline in the republic has come down by 6.86 percent and amounted to 2 Somonis.  The price of one liter of 96-octane gasoline in Dushanbe came down from 2.40 Somonis in late December to 2 Somonis on January 5, with similar price falls in other parts of the country.  The price of one liter of 95-octane gasoline has come down from 2.20 Somonis to 2.00 Somonis.  As it had been reported earlier, compared to late November 2005 an average price of gasoline in the republic came down by 18.78 percent in late December 2005.  

According to information from the MET, Tajikistan imported 278,600 tons of oil products in January-November 2005.  The totaled included 129,900 tons of gasoline for a total amount of US$52 million (US$400 per ton).  Besides, Tajikistan imported 42,000 tons of diesel fuel for US$17.5 million (US$417 per ton) during this period.  According to the source, in July-December 2005, Tajikistan imported mainly from Russia and Turkmenistan. 

Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan are the main trading partners to Tajikistan fuel imports.  Kazakhstan accounts for 40.7 percent of Tajikistan’s fuel imports, Russia for 23.4 percent and Turkmenistan for 15.3 percent.  

DUSHANBE, January 7, Asia-Plus / / — Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a federal law on ratifying the agreement between the governments of Russia and Tajikistan on labor activity of Russian nationals in Tajikistan and Tajik nationals in Russia, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

The lower and upper houses of the Russian parliament approved the document, respectively, on


December 23, 2005

and

December 27, 2005

.

The federal law envisions ratification of the bilateral accord in question, which was signed on in


Dushanbe


on

October 16, 2004

.  It regulates issues of labor activity and the protection of rights of the Russians temporarily living and working in


Tajikistan


and the Tajiks temporarily living and working in


Russia


.  The document also aims to promote legal labor migration and to avert the illegal use of labor force from either country.

When Asia-Plus has applied for comments to officials with the Tajik MFA, they said that the Tajik MFA has not yet received a note about signing of this document.  “It is very long procedure: Russian MFA should send the note to the Russian Embassy in


Dushanbe


and they will send it to the Tajik MFA.” 

Some local experts hold that this document “will allow improving fate of Tajik migrants officially leaving for


Russia


in search of better employment opportunities and protecting their rights in the


Russian Federation


.” 

DUSHANBE


, January 7, Asia-Plus — Issues of gas supplies from


Uzbekistan


to


Tajikistan


are supposed to be discussed in negotiations between Tajik economy officials and Uzbek suppliers in


Tashkent


from January 11-18, according to information from the Ministry of Economy and Trade. 

The MET source says the negotiations will be conducted at the level of deputy heads of relevant ministries on rational use of water resources and natural gas.   

Deputy Economy and Trade Minister, Larisa Kislyakova, will represent


Tajikistan


in the negotiations.  An official with the MET has told

Asia

-Plus, “Representatives of Tajikistan and


Uzbekistan


are expected to sign agreements “On Gas Supplies from


Uzbekistan


to


Tajikistan


at the Rate of US$55.00 per 1,000 Cubic Meters of Gas” and “On Rational Use of Water Resources.” 

The negotiations also will focus on issues related to


Tajikistan


’s debt to


Uzbekistan


, according to the source.