DUSHANBE, June 30, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov has sent a letter to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, asking him to abolish export duty on light oil for Tajikistan, the source at premier’s press service said.

The letter of response has not yet been received, the source said.

In the meantime, BBC reports that according to the published transcript of one of the latest sessions of the Russian Cabinet, Vladimir Putin has charged his deputy Igor Sechkin to consider the request of the Tajik side.  The vice-premier has reported that Russia’s Federal Customs Service is currently considering this issue.

We will recall that on May 1, Russia introduced the export duty on light oil for Tajikistan at the rate of 203.7 U.S. dollars per one ton and on June 1, the export duty was raised to 209.1 U.S. dollars.  Introduction of the export duty on light oil has resulted in gasoline prices rising some 20 percent in Tajikistan in late May.

The price of one liter of 95-octane gasoline in Dushanbe has risen from 3.90 somoni to 4.40, with similar price rises in other parts of the country.