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As of 1 January, Uzbekistan is charging Tajikistan $55 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas, compared to $42 last year.

Tajikistan imports 95 percent of its gas from its neighbor.

Uzbekistan announced late last year it planned to increase the price for its natural gas to all buyers, which also include Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, due to increased extraction and transport costs.

(AP/ITAR-TASS)