Uzbekistan warned Russia and its Central Asian neighbours on Thursday it would almost double its gas export price at the start of next year. Uzbek state pipeline company Uztransgas published a statement in an Uzbek newspaper saying it would charge $100 per 1,000 cubic metres from Jan.1, 2007, up from a current $55-60. \"Uztransgas has officially informed its trading partners about the higher price for Uzbek gas,\" the company said. Russia is the main buyer of Uzbek gas, importing up to 9 billion cubic metres a year. The move comes just weeks after another big Central Asian gas producer, Turkmenistan, raised its export price after threatening to halt supplies to Russia. A higher Uzbek gas price is also likely to hit smaller and poorer neighbours Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, who largely rely on Uzbekistan for their energy needs. (Reuters)