Category Archives: Central Asia & South Caucasus News

Georgian activist challenges gay marriage law

FEB. 10 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Giorgi Tatishvili, a Georgian gay rights activist, has filed a lawsuit challenging a law in Georgia which states that marriage can only be between a man and a woman, the Eurasianet website reported. Georgia is a staunchly conservative country and the Orthodox Church plays a major role in society. Mr Tatishvili’s lawsuit provides a potential litmus test for Georgian society over whether it wants to relax its strong traditional viewpoints.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 267, published on Feb. 12 2016)

Inflation jumps in Azerbaijan

FEB. 10 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Prices in Azerbaijan jumped by 5.8% in January compared to December, according to the national statistics committee. The statistics committee said food prices rose 8.7% last month. In December the Central Bank allowed the manat currency to float free against the US dollar. This triggered a 35% devaluation in its value, putting prices under enormous pressure to rise.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 267, published on Feb. 12 2016)

Turkmenistan increases security over TAPI

FEB. 9 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Addressing a government meeting, Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov ordered his government to increase security over the planned TAPI pipeline that will, it is hoped, pump gas to India. Last month the Taliban destroyed a transmission line sending electricity between Uzbekistan and Kabul. For TAPI to be successful, it needs to be able to guarantee security around the route. Governments that border Afghanistan have been warning that a resurgent Taliban are posing an increasing threat to stability.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 267, published on Feb. 12 2016)

Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan dispute over border

FEB. 6 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) -The foreign ministries of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan traded angry notes after Kyrgyz soldiers appeared to raise their national flag over a disputed border area. International monitors have said that the two neighbours had been making decent progress towards thrashing out a solution to their long-running border row. The recent dispute, though, may have endangered this progress. Analysts have said that the Tajik-Kyrgyz border dispute has the potential to destabilise the region.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 267, published on Feb. 12 2016)

GM Uzbekistan sales fall

FEB. 10 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – GM Uzbekistan sold 1,269 cars in Russia in January, down 37% on the same period in 2015, media reported quoting the Automobile Manufacturers Committee of the European Business Association which releases data on sales. Russia is GM Uzbekistan’s main market. GM Uzbekistan is important because it is one of the few relatively successful projects with Western business in Uzbekistan. Low oil prices have caused a recession in Russia which has impacted the rest of the region.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 267, published on Feb. 12 2016)

Volume of Turkish goods entering Kazakhstan rises tenfold

FEB. 10 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – The volume of Turkish products entering Kazakhstan through Aktau, its main Caspian Sea port, has increased by 10 times since Russia imposed sanctions on Turkey in December, media reported quoting the Kazakh Chamber of Entrepreneurs .

Turkish producers appear to have targeted Central Asia as a decent market since Russia imposed sanctions after a Turkish warplane shot down a Russian warplane over Syria.

Products are sent to Azerbaijan, a strong Turkish ally, and then shipped over the Caspian to Aktau.

The row has put countries in Central Asia and the South Caucasus in a difficult position as they need to maintain good ties with both neighbours. Russia has said it is monitoring Central Asia to make sure it is not used as a backdoor way for Turkish goods to enter the country.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 267, published on Feb. 12 2016)

Turkmen President sacks deputy PM

FEB. 6 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov sacked deputy PM Palvan Taganov for “weakening discipline and order”. The official explanation is code for corruption allegations. Mr Taganov had served in his post for two years and also headed the official commodity exchange. According to unconfirmed reports, Mr Taganov has been arrested.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 267, published on Feb. 12 2016)

Kyrgyzstan bans dollar mortgage

FEB. 10 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan’s Central Bank said that it had banned commercial banks from handing out US dollar mortgages to customers. The ban is designed to stop the economy from accruing more bad debt. Like its neighbours the Kyrgyz som has been under increased pressure to devalue. Over the past couple of months, the Central Bank has intervened heavily in the currency markets to protect its value but analysts have said that this policy is unsustainable and a devaluation is inevitable.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 267, published on Feb. 12 2016)

Tecnimont to build plant in Azerbaijan

FEB. 5 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Italy’s Maire Tecnimont signed a $180m deal with Azerbaijan’s SOCAR Polymer to build a polyethylene plant near Baku, local media reported. The plant is part of SOCAR’s petrochemical complex in Sumgayit, 30km north of Baku. SOCAR Polymer is a subsidiary of SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil and gas company.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 267, published on Feb. 12 2016)

Uzbek President expresses homophobia

FEB. 8 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbek President Islam Karimov said “Western values” were the cause of “vulgar” practices, such as homosexual relations. Speaking to Uzbek press, Mr Karimov, 78, said that homosexuality for him was a form of a mental illness. Homosexuality is illegal in Uzbekistan and can be punished with up to three years in prison. Human rights groups regularly rate Uzbekistan as one of the most oppressive countries in the world.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 267, published on Feb. 12 2016)