DUSHANBE, December 1, Asia-Plus - Tajik national gas concern, Tojikgaz, plans to import 650 million cubic meters of natural gas from Tajikistan next year, the Tojikgaz deputy director Shavkat Shoimov said in an interview with Asia-Plus.  

According to him, an agreement on gas supplies will be signed next  month.  Shoimov linked the decrease in the volume of imported gas to Uzbekistan’s decision to double the price of its natural-gas exports.  He recalled that in October, Tojikgaz received a letter from Uzbekistan''s Uztransgaz saying it will charge Tajikistan $100 per 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas in 2007.  Tajikistan currently pays $55 per 1,000 cubic meters of Uzbek gas.

Uzbekistan has said that it will raise the prices of its natural gas to other countries as well.  

Shoimov noted that the new price is very high and Tojikgaz will conduct negotiations with Uztransgaz to convince it to reduce the prices of its gas supplies.  

This year, Tajikistan was supposed to have imported 750 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan but because of financial shortages Tojikgaz has reduced the Uzbek gas imports to 610 million cubic meters this year.  “Tajikistan has to date received 535 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan,” Shoimov said, noting Tajikistan daily receives 3 million cubic meters of gas.