TASHKENT, April 7 (RIA Novosti) - Uzbekistan has started gradually reducing its natural gas deliveries to Tajikistan over payment arrears, state-controlled Uztransgaz said on Monday.
A company spokesman told RIA Novosti that Tajikistan's debt is currently $7 million, and that "demands to pay the debt have achieved no results, and talks with [Tajik state gas company] Tajikgaz have ended without success."
Uzbekistan's gas exports to fellow ex-Soviet Central Asian state Tajikistan will now be 1.3 million cubic meters a day, compared to the previous level of 2 million cu m.
Under a deal for 2008, Uzbekistan is to supply 650 million cu m of gas at $145 per 1,000 cu m.
