Tuesday, June 05, 2012 -
Tajikistan’s Minister of Industry and Energy Gul Sherali said on Monday he has asked Iran to supply his country with crude oil.
The Tajik minister said his government is awaiting Tehran’s response to the request made last week during bilateral economic talks in the Iranian capital.
“We predict that Tajikistan’s request, which is in line with [increasing] bilateral cooperation between the two countries, will be accepted by the Iranian government,” the Tehran-based Press TV reported the Tajik minister as saying.
“In case of a final agreement, Tajikistan’s needed crude oil will be transferred by rail via Afghanistan,” said Sherali.
The Central Asian republic plans to convert the Iranian crude into refined oil products at its own refineries.
The two countries concluded their ninth joint economic commission meeting on May 29, by inking five agreements to strengthen collaboration in areas ranging from energy transfer, economy, transportation, health and power plant construction.
Iran was Tajikistan’s leading trade partner in 2011. It also had the second largest investments in the Central Asian country after China.
A large portion of Iranian investment has gone into building the huge 220 megawatt Sangtuda-2 hydroelectric power station, located around 100 miles south of the Tajik capital Dushanbe.