DUSHANBE, August 7, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- The Uzbek Embassy in Dushanbe denies statements by Tajik officials and reports released by some media about restrictions imposed by Uzbek authorities on cross-border passage of Tajikistan-bound freight cars as unfounded.

A statement released by the Uzbek Embassy in Dushanbe on August 6, in particular, claims that despite measures taken by Uzbek state rail company, Uzbekistion Temir Yollari, to provide timely passage of Tajikistan-bound freight cars, Tajik officials and media are continuing to spread unfounded statements and accusations.

According to the statement, freight is transported along the rail routes to the Tajik northern Sughd province and Dushanbe without delays and the Uzbek state rail company is taking measures to solve the problem of shipping Tajikistan-bound cargo along the route to the southern regions of Tajikistan regardless of the necessity of repairing the railroad stretch Termez-Amuzang.

During the repairing work, 1,337 freight cars, including 322 car carrying food products, 607 cars containing fuels, 261 cars loaded with building materials and 147 cars carrying other goods, proceeded into Tajikistan via the Amuzang railroad station alone, the statement said.

The Uzbek embassy says such unfounded statements and accusations by representatives of Tajikistan against Uzbekistan undermine fundamentals of good neighborly relations between the two countries and do not promote strengthening of mutual confidence between the sides.

We will recall that Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on May 25 that Uzbekistan has suspended rail traffic to Tajikistan''s southern Khatlon province.  The Uzbek consul-general in Dushanbe, Zafar Rahimjonov, said on May 24 that floods in Uzbekistan have destroyed 11 kilometers of railroad tracks between the Amuzang and Termez stations and Uzbekistan does not have sufficient resources to guarantee its complete restoration.  Tajik officials said the Tajik railroad company offered to rebuild that stretch of railroad at its own expense but the Uzbek side rejected that offer.

Andrey Tropin, the head of the shipment department at Tajik Railways, told Asia-Plus on August 6 that 241 freight cars bound for Khatlon province have been stranded on Uzbek territory.  “We have repeatedly applied to our Uzbek colleagues, asking to clarify the reason for holdup of freight cars bound for Khatlon; however, we have not yet received reply,” said the official with Tajik state rail company, “To find out the solution to the problem, we have also applied the embassies of Uzbekistan, Iran, China, and Russia.”

In all, 1,097 Tajikistan-bound freight cars are still being held up in Uzbekistan, Tropin added.

In June, the Uzbek state railroad company sent a letter to Tajik authorities, notifying them that it wants to close a 44-kilometer stretch of railroad, which runs from the Uzbek city of Termez to the Tajik southern Khatlon province.  Uzbek officials said the route was not economically viable and their country could no longer afford to maintain it.  However, Tajik authorities prefer to keep this stretch open and even agreed to assume responsibility for its maintenance.