Kazakhstan has imposed a ban on the export of petroleum products by road.

Citing the Ministry of energy of Kazakhstan, Kazakh media reports say Kazakhstan imposes ban on the export of gasoline, diesel fuel and certain types of petroleum products by road for six months beginning on July 12.  

It is noted that the ban does not apply to the delivery of petroleum products “in the gas tanks provided by the manufacturer of motor vehicles as well as in individual containers with a volume of not more than 20 liters.”

This measure of the Kazakh authorities is unlikely to have any noticeable effect on the delivery of these types of petroleum products to Tajikistan and accordingly on their prices in the country, because they are delivered from Kazakhstan in small volumes.    

According to data from the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan last year accounted for only 7.0 percent in an overall volume of these types of petroleum products imported  by Tajikistan in 2021.  Tajikistan delivers gasoline and diesel fuel mostly from the Russian Federation.  

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.  Last year, Kazakhstan reportedly accounted for 88 percent of the country’s overall LNG imports. 

However, Tajikistan is going to expand the list of suppliers of LNG and will buy more of the fuel from Turkmenistan, Tajik Minister of Energy and Water Resources Daler Juma told reporters in Dushanbe in early February this year. 

The minister listed Russia and Kazakhstan as the major suppliers of this fuel to Tajikistan.

According to Sputnik Tajikistan report, Juma said Tajikistan will receive more gas from Turkmenistan, adding that an agreement was reached between the two countries to send an unlimited amount of this fuel to Tajikistan.

In 2021, Tajikistan reportedly imported 5,000 tons of liquefied natural gas from Turkmenistan.

During Tajik president’s visit to Ashgabat in August last year, the government officials signed 19 documents on cooperation between the two countries, including on petroleum and LNG.