RIA Novosti cited Mr Davlat Nazriev Tajik Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying that Uzbekistan cut supplies of natural gas to Tajikistan on Wednesday.

He said that “TajikTransGaz applied to Uztransgaz to sign an agreement on supplying natural gas in 2012 but the Uzbek party postponed the signing of the contract.”

Mr Nazreiv added that on December 22, Tajik Deputy Prime Minister Mr Murodali Alimardon sent an official letter on signing the agreement to Uzbek First Deputy Prime Minister Mr Rusatm Azimov. In his reply, Mr Azimov wrote that the issue of supplying Uzbek natural gas had not been resolved with the main buyers, i.e. China and Russia, so the signing of the agreement between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan does not seem possible.”

Mr Nazriev said “Today the Uzbek ambassador in Dushanbe received a letter from Tajik President Mr Emomali Rakhmon to Mr Isalm Karimov.”

(Sourced from RIA Novosti)