DUSHANBE, August 1, 2013, Asia-Plus -- The Sate Committee on Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest) has reportedly handed over to  OJSC Tojiktransgaz (Tajik state-run natural gas distributor) operational control of shares of all stock companies that had previously been separated from Tojiktransgaz as a result of the restructuring process.

“This decision has been made after coordination with the government and relevant government bodies,” the GosKomInvest deputy head, Anvar Najmiddinov, told Asia-Plus in an interview.

We will recall that after restructuring and demoonopolization of former State Unitary Enterprise Tojikgaz (current Tojiktransgaz), 18 stock companies were established with 100 percent of shares owned by the government.

“Tojiktransgaz and these companies are currently in a very poor state because Uzbekistan halted gas shipments to Tajikistan,” said Najmiddinov, “Therefore, we temporarily united them into a common system in order to preserve the existing natural-gas network.”

Uzbekistan suspended gas deliveries via pipeline to Tajikistan on December 31, 2012 after both sides failed to agree on gas prices following the expiration of their contract.

Uzbekistan, Tajikistan''s only supplier of gas, routinely suspends gas deliveries to its neighbor amid complaints of nonpayment.

Uzbek natural gas prices varied quarterly depending on the world trends and Tajikistan had to make prepayments every ten days.

In 2010, an average price of 1,000 cubic meters of Uzbek natural gas for Tajikistan was US$240.00; in the first quarter of 2010, the price of 1,000 cubic meters of Uzbek gas was US$231.00 and in the fourth quarter, it rose to US$254.00.

In the first quarter of 2011, Tajikistan bought natural gas from Uzbekistan at US$227.85 per 1,000 cubic meters, while the price for the second quarter was US$249.19 per 1,000 cubic meters.  In the third quarter, Tajikistan bought natural gas from Uzbekistan at US$284.33 per 1,000 cubic meters and the price for the fourth quarter was US$311.00.

Last year, an average price for 1000 cubic meters of Uzbek gas in Tajikistan was 300.00 U.S. dollars.  In 2012, Tajikistan received 132.4 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan, 46.6 million cubic meters fewer than in 2011.

Meanwhile, Russia''s Gazprom has paid $1 to take over Kyrgyzstan''s natural gas network and pledged to invest billions of rubles to upgrade its gas infrastructure and ensure stable supply.  Gazprom is expected to invest 20 billion rubles ($609 million) in the first five years.

Natural gas supplies to Kyrgyzstan were repeatedly interrupted during the past winter due to its mounting unpaid bills to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The 25-year agreement, posted on the Russian government site (www.government.ru), stipulates that Gazprom, Russia''s gas export monopoly, will guarantee the development and upgrade of Kyrgyzstan''s gas equipment and pipelines as well as uninterrupted supplies of gas to local consumers.