APRIL 13 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — In an interview with the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Tajik interior ministry spokesman said that interior minister, Ramazon Rahminzoda, had ordered policemen to go to the theatre at least once a month. He said that the theatre could inspire, challenge and educate policemen. Tajik police have a reputation for being corrupt.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)
APRIL 11 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — MPs in Kazakhstan have received a pay rise of 50%, media reported. According to the Eurasianet website, the pay rise has angered many ordinary Kazakhs who are struggling through a sharp economic downturn. MPs have responded that the pay rise was organised four year ago and that they were the last group of government officials to receive a pay rise. The pay rise, active since March 1, means that MPs in Kazakhstan now earn $2,000 to $2,200 every month.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)
ALMATY, APRIL 5 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — A senior official at Samruk Kazyna, Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund, said that the up-and-coming privatisations of Air Astana, the national airline, and Kazatomprom, the state nuclear company, were attracting a lot of attention from Western investors.
In an interview with Reuters in London, Berik Beisengaliyev, managing director for assets optimisation of Samruk Kazyna, also said that the Kazakh government had sold off 120 small and medium sized companies. Samruk Kazyna is Kazakhstan’s $67b sovereign wealth fund.
“We saw a very positive mood in the market,” he was quoted as saying. Kazakhstan has been promising the so-called People’s IPO that would see chunks of the country’s biggest companies listed on both the Kazakh Stock Exchange and an international exchange. It has continually delayed the IPOs, mainly because market conditions have moved against sales.
Still, Mr Beisengaliyev said that the sale of the smaller companies would be complete by the end of 2018 allowing the government to sell off what have been considered its top tier assets.
As well as Air Astana, which is 49% owned by BAE Systems, and Kazatomprom, the world’s biggest uranium producer, the more high profile companies slated to be sold off, or at least be partially privatised, include Kazpost, oil and gas company Kazmunaigas and railway operator Temir Zholy.
A third tier of companies are being considered for sale to strategic investors, single high-profile companies instead of the multiple smaller investors attracted through an IPO, Mr Beisengaliyev said. These companies include domestic airline Qazqom, Kazakhtelecom and mining company Teu-Ken Sumruk.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)
APRIL 6 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Reuters reported that a court in Italy ordered the halt of construction work on the final segment of a pipeline running from the Caspian Sea to central Europe to protect an olive grove. Protesters have been complaining that the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) would destroy the ancient grove. TAP is part of the $40b Southern Gas Corridor which is seen as a vital piece of infrastructure for the EU’s gas imports. The suspension of construction work is a temporary measure.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)
APRIL 10 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon officially signed a decree appointing his 29-year-old son, Rustam Emomali, as the mayor of Dushanbe. Mr Emomali had been acting mayor of Dushanbe since January when the previous long- serving incumbent was suddenly fired. He had to wait until he had been elected to the city assembly before he could take up the position on a full-time basis. He was elected to the assembly at the end of last month. Some analysts have said that Mr Emomali’s promotion is part of the grooming he is undergoing ahead of taking over from his father as president.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)
APRIL 9 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — US golf legend Jack Nicklaus flew to Ashgabat to meet with Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov to update him on progress to the golf course that his company Nicklaus Design is building outside Ashgabat. At the meeting, official media said that the two men exchanged views on the state of golf around the world. In an interview with the AP news agency last year, Mr Nicklaus said that he had signed up to build two golf courses in Turkmenistan.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)
APRIL 10 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — SaryArkaAvtoProm, a Kazakh car- maker based in Kostani in the north of the country, started production of the Chevrolet Niva car, the GM-AvtoVAZ company said in a press release. The announcement is a major boost for Kazakhstan’s fledgling car-making industry. It has been hard hit by a sharp economic downturn that has knocked consumer confidence. The SaryArkaAvtoProm is one of three car-making factories in Kazakhstan. GM-AvtoVAZ is a joint-venture set up by the US’ GM and Russia’s AvtoVAZ. It will sell the Chevrolet Niva produced by SaryArkaAvtoProm in southern Russia.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)
APRIL 6 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — In the first quarter of 2017, Turkmenistan produced 6.2% more electricity than the same period in 2016, official media reported by quoting deputy PM Dadebay Amangeldyev. Turkmenistan has been boosting its electricity generation capacity specifically with an eye on exports to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)
APRIL 10 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — A train carrying whisky, baby food and vitamins left a depot in southern England at the start of an 18-day journey through Central Asia to China.
This modern-day ‘Silk Road’ odyssey is part of China’s push to promote freight transport by rail between East Asia and Europe.
At its heart, the 11,000km route relies upon a stable Central Asia with modern infrastructure and it shows just how important the region has become as a transport hub. The ‘Silk Road’ train will travel through Europe into Russia and then dip down into Kazakhstan before crossing into western China and terminating in Yiwu on the eastern coast Xubin Feng, the head of Yiwu Timex Investment Company, underlined the importance of the train.
“Restoring the ancient Silk Road as a means by which China, North Europe and now the UK can exchange goods is an important and exciting initiative,” he said.
The project is part of China’s drive to promote its so-called ‘One Belt, One Road’ programme. Three months ago, the first freight train arrived from China to Britain and several other European capitals have already been linked up to China by rail.
And this ‘One Belt, One Road’ policy is important for Central Asia, and in particular Kazakhstan, as it plays a vital, and potentially lucrative, stagepost role.
Kazakhstan has started to leverage its position as a link between Europe and East Asia and, as well as promoting its rail infrastructure, it has also promoted itself as a refuelling pitstop for airlines crossing to Asia.
Also, this year, the first train from Kazakhstan headed through China to Vietnam, opening up another route.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)
APRIL 12 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Visa liberalisation with the EU is the next obvious step for EU-Armenia relations, Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian said at a meeting with his European counterparts. Last month an enhanced partnership agreement came into play between the EU and Armenia. Georgia won visa-free access to the EU at the end of March, but Armenia is a member of the Russia-centric Eurasia Economic Union and a visa- liberalisation process has not been discussed.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 324, published on April 13 2017)
