DUSHANBE, October 4. /TASS/. Tajikistan and Russia are considering the possibility of joint development of oil and gas fields in the republic, Tajik Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin discussed this topic at a meeting of the Tajik-Russian intergovernmental commission in Dushanbe.

"We have submitted to the Russian side a list of promising oil and gas fields in Tajikistan for joint development. <…> We propose to continue working on finding common ground to implement a mutually beneficial project in this area," Rasulzoda said.

He noted that the Tajik side took into account the considerations of its Russian colleagues regarding special requirements and the profitability of launching joint activities in the field development.

In turn, Khusnullin confirmed the intentions of the Russian side. The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that Russia sees great prospects for energy development, including joining the unified energy system of Central Asia.

"This will support the reliability of energy supply. Both sides are interested in it," he said.

There are about 28 registered oil fields in Tajikistan, the proven oil reserves amount to more than 2 million tons, and 12 oil refineries operate in the country.

According to the statistics agency under the President of Tajikistan, about 18,000 tons of oil were produced in the republic in 2023, which is not enough to supply the refineries, so the country imports oil products and gas. Russia remains the main supplier of oil products to the country - supplies of motor gasoline and diesel fuel to the Tajik market are carried out on a preferential basis, without paying customs duties.