DUSHANBE, May 29, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Many currency exchange offices in Dushanbe today have temporarily refrained from selling and purchasing foreign currencies, including dollars, Russian rubles and euros.  Employees of the exchange offices attribute this situation to unsteady rate of the somoni against the dollar.

“The exchange rate of the somoni against the dollar is expected to be determined only in the afternoon and we will begin working only after the rate is determined,” the head of one of the currency exchange offices said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

One of merchants running shop at the Korvon market, Kholmahmad Azizov, told Asia-Plus that he failed to exchange 200 dollars for somonis today morning.  “Currency exchange offices located at the market are still refraining from purchasing or selling foreign currencies,” said Azizov, “They have not explained the reason for that, just saying that they were ordered to wait until the afternoon.”

In the meantime, one of currency exchange offices located at the Sultoni Kabir market has begun operating.  However, they purchase dollars at the rate of 1:4.20, Russian rubles at the rate of 10:1 and euros at the rate of 1:5.40.

We will recall that yesterday, the currency exchange offices in Dushanbe purchased dollars at 1:4.7 and sold them at 1:4.80.   Euros were purchased at 1:5.9 and were sold at 1:6 and Russian rubles were purchased at 10:1.5 and were sold at 10:1.6.

Officials with the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) refrained form commenting on this situation.  They just noted that official exchange rates of the somoni against the dollar, the Russia ruble and the euro was set today at 1:4.4537, 1:5.9761 and 10:1.4226 respectively.