Tajikistan will increase electricity supplies to Afghanistan

The company “Barki Tojik” has increased the volume of electricity supplies to Afghanistan by almost 20%.

On February 13, 2024, the director of the state energy holding company “Barki Tojik,” Mahmadumar Asozoda, stated at a press conference that under a new agreement with the Afghan energy company “Breshna,” Tajikistan will supply Afghanistan with 1.9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity this year.

The director of “Barki Tojik” noted that in 2023, Tajikistan exported 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to Afghanistan. The exported electricity to this country is mainly supplied during the spring-summer period, while in the autumn-winter period, the volume of supplies is reduced to preserve the power lines.

At the same time, the financial situation in Afghanistan has noticeably improved, as it was previously reported that a representative of the Afghan energy company “Breshna,” Hikmatulla Maivand, stated that the Taliban government settled debts for electricity supplied from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran in 2023, totaling over 627 million dollars.

Earlier, Afghan media also reported that in 2023, the Taliban government paid Tajikistan 110.4 million dollars from the debts of the “Breshna” company. The Taliban also stated that in the future, they would purchase electricity from Tajikistan on a prepayment basis.

However, so far, neither party, neither the Tajik company “Barki Tojik” nor the Afghan energy company “Breshna,” has officially disclosed the cost of electricity supplied from Tajikistan.

Among the neighboring countries of Afghanistan, Tajikistan is the only country that, despite having an active embassy of Tajikistan in Afghanistan and a Taliban-controlled consulate of Afghanistan in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, openly speaks against the Taliban from high platforms in the country, takes an open anti-Taliban position at meetings of international organizations, and states that it does not recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan. However, trade and economic relations between Tajikistan and Afghanistan continue to develop steadily, with the authorities of both countries engaging in large-scale business both openly and secretly.