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Opposition protest in Yerevan

OCT. 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – An estimated 10,000 people rallied against Armenia’s government in central Yerevan, media reported, the biggest protest since a presidential election last year.

Opposition rallies, calling for the government to resign, are relatively commonplace in Yerevan. The issue is whether they turn violent or grow so large that the government has to react to them.

In 2008, eight people died in clashes between the security forces and demonstrators after elections.

The protest in Yerevan was the culmination of severally carefully choreographed anti-government demonstrations around the country.

And the protagonists were the same. Former president Levon Ter-Petrosian, a canny opponent for current president Serzh Sargsyan, addressed the crowd. He is credited with whipping up the anger that led to the clashes in 2008.

The protesters actual demand are hard to decipher. They, broadly, want their lives improved and the economy strengthen. No easy task for the government which is having to navigate the country through a tricky economic environment.

What is different now is the opposition’s cry that moving into Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union and away from the European Union is partly to blame for the general malaise. If the opposition can harness this, they may make more headway.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)

Kazakh government to generate billions

OCT. 8 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The Kazakh government said it would restructure Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna in order to generate $11.2b in sales and savings.

Costs will be cut and unwanted assets sold off through the much vaunted, but still-to-emerge, People’s IPO.

The government wants to half the number of companies administered by the fund and sell up to 10% in selected strategic national companies such as electric grid operator KEGOC, energy holding Samruk-Energo, railroad major Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, and the national nuclear agency KazAtomProm.

Samruk-Kazyna is the main tool through which the Kazakh government controls companies. The fund accounts for 10.5% of Kazakhstan’s GDP and its assets are valued at $100b.

The timing of such a large restructuring is important. Economic growth rates across the region have been halved over the past few months as Russia’s sanction-hit economy tips into recession.

It may just have been time to for the Kazakh government to get serious about cutting costs and raising revenue.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)

Georgia’s rebel region to bolster army

OCT. 12 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgia’s rebel region of Abkhazia will sign a treaty with Russia to bolster its military. Only Russia and a handful of its close allies recognise Abkhazia. By bolstering its military, Abkhazia threatens to antagonise ties with Georgia.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)

Kyrgyzstan wants to export meat to Russia

OCT. 14 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – As part of Kyrgyzstan’s move towards membership of the Russia-led Customs Union, it has started preparing to export processed meat to Russia, media reported.

This is, potentially, significant as it shows just how the Customs Union, which turns into the Eurasian Economic Union, can help the poorer parts of the former Soviet Union.

It also shows how Russia is looking to its neighbours and allies for economic support to help it cope with the sanctions that the West has thrown over it.

Armenian cheese producers, for example, have said that they could export more cheese to Russia to make up for the shortfall of from France and other parts of the European Union.

Now the Kyrgyz news website 24.kg has quoted the agriculture minister as saying that he had spoken to his Russian counterpart and asked for guidance on bringing the meat processing industry in Kyrgyzstan up to standard for imports to Russia.

“Until now, the export of this product is prohibited. We asked about test batches in order for our businesses to start to explore the markets of Russia in anticipation of entering the Customs Union,” he said.

“The Minister gave a positive response and concluded a verbal agreement.”

Kyrgyzstan intends to join the Eurasian Economic Union, which also includes Belarus and Kazakhstan, next year. Armenia has also agreed to join the bloc.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)

Tajikistan boosts coal production

OCT. 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Tajikistan has nearly doubled the amount of coal it has mined so far this year, media reported. The increase was needed to meet a surge in demand created by industries switching from gas to coal for power. The boost in demand for coal should also increase employment in Tajikistan.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)

No devaluation, Kazakh minister says

OCT. 9 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakh economy minister Yerbolat Dossayev refuted speculation the Central Bank was planning to devalue the tenge again this year, media reported. Kazakhstan’s economy has stalled since sanctions started to bite Russia. Kazakhstan has already devalued its currency by 20%.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)

Tajik opposition demo fails

OCT. 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A planned opposition demonstration in central Dushanbe failed to materialise after the authorities blocked websites and social media outlets and used a riot exercise as a show of force.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)

Exiled opposition figures have called for a change of government.

Armenia to erect Kalashnikov statue

OCT. 9 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia will erect a statue of the Russian designer of the Kalashnikov rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov, in the northern town of Gyuimri, the eurasianet.org website reported. Gyuimri is the site of the Russian military base. Kalashnikov died in 2013. Russians consider his rifle to be one of their greatest inventions.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)

Azerbaijan increases defence budget

OCT. 13 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan will increase its defence spending next year by just over 3%, keeping up with inflation, IHS Janes Defence reported quoting the Azerbaijani finance ministry. Azerbaijan has been increasing its defence spending through the last few years.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)

Azerbaijanis worry about oil price fall

BAKU/Azerbaijan, DEC. 5 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Global oil prices have collapsed since the summer, hitting governments, currencies and ordinary people. Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, was built on oil and this slide has, perhaps, been keenest felt here.

Matanat Guliyeva’s husband works for a private oil company. She said: “Salaries have been late for the last two or three months. We have to reduce our budget, as we are uncertain whether my husband’s wage will arrive next week or not.”

Funds directly from oil sales or from taxes generated by oil sales, power Azerbaijan’s state budget. Earlier this month the government passed a budget that increased spending next year but some people in Azerbaijan are now worried about possible economic turmoil triggered by the falling oil prices.

Aytekin Gasimova 18, said she follows news about oil prices closely because an oil price means that her father, who works in local market in Moscow, will also earn less.

“I’m mostly concerned about my tuition fee,” she said. “It seems my family may have difficulties in paying for my education.”

Nijat Qafurov, 43, a bank worker is more optimistic. He said that people’s income will not decrease due to oil prices drop. Instead, he said, if prices keep falling, the government will cut infrastructure projects, not salaries.

And this sense of being able to ride out economic uncertainty rebounded around Baku.

Azer Mammadov, 28, a construction worker, said that the Azerbaijani government has enough money to save the economy.

“I am sure, they have kept some money for such days, and will not let people starve,” he said. “The government will manage it somehow.”

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 212, published on Dec. 10 2014)