Uzbekistani possible exit from UES CA politically motivated-Tajikistan.

DUSHANBE, November 25 (Itar-Tass) --The Tajikistani authorities called
Uzbekistani statement on its possible unilateral exit from the United
Energy System of Central Asia (UES CA) beginning from December 1 this
year, "politically motivated", the representative of Tajikistani Foreign
Ministry, CIS affairs department deputy head Husrav Goibov said commenting
on the statement of an Uzbekistani ambassador at a press conference on
November 23.
Each state has a right to take any decision, guided by the necessity
to provide for its national interests, Goibov said, if these interests are
not aimed at inflicting damage to the other state, the more so if these
states were and are closely connected by a joint history of many centuries
and the principles of good neighbourship.
On November 23 at a specially held briefing the Uzbekistani ambassador
Shoislam Shokasymov voiced the stance that his country's exit from the
Central Asian United Energy System "was determined by this system, created
in the times of the USSR, incapability to function with good quality in
the previous regime". The diplomat explained, the absence of a unified
control centre has lead to the illegal takeoffs of electric energy from
the "energy ring" and provoked conflict situations. According to him
under current situation a number of states, Turkmenistan included, stepped
out of the UES CA some years before.
Commenting on the decision of the Uzbek authorities, the
representative of the state owned national power company Barki Tajik
emphasized, this will negatively influence the energy supplies to
Tajikistan and will lead to acute shortage of electricity. The company's
representative Alexei Silantyev explained, " the disruption of a united
energy system will automatically make impossible the energy transit from
Turkmenistan to Tajikistan, as well as the sale of its extra amounts to
other states in the spring-summer period".
At present electricity supply in Tajikistan is limited to 7 hours a
day, with the exception of the republic's capital and the regional centres.

-0-kud