Category Archives: Uncategorised

NATO plans training base in Georgia

>>Russia has warned Georgia about getting too close to NATO>>

JAN. 30 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — NATO plans to open training facility in Georgia by the end of the year, a move certain to irritate Russia which has previously warned the Georgian government not to get too close to the Western military alliance.

Alexander Vershbow, NATO deputy secretary-general, announced the opening of the base on a trip to Tbilisi.

For Georgia, the decision by NATO to open a training centre is a major diplomatic coup. It is desperate to join the alliance and has been a keen supporter of its mission in Afghanistan. Georgia still has soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

As for NATO, the move is more risky. It doesn’t want to antagonise Russia but it also needs to look strong.

Over Ukraine, Russia and NATO are already engaged in something of a proxy war. NATO accuses Russia of sending weapons and soldiers to help pro-Russian rebels fight the Ukrainian forces. It is also considering arming the Kiev government forces.

It’s not entirely clear what the NATO training centre in Georgia will look like or what it will actually do. Relations between Georgia and Russia have steadily been improving since a war in 2008.

During the war, Russia forces roamed parts of Georgia and occupied military bases. Placing a base, even a training centre, in Georgia will move NATO onto the frontline.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 217, published on Feb. 4 2015)

Berdymukhamedov flies to Ankara

MARCH 3 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov flew to Anakara for talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on cooperation in the energy sector. Media reported that Mr Erdogan wants to set up a grouping with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. This is likely to revolve around the South Caucasus energy corridor.
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(News report from Issue No. 221, published on March 4 2015)

Kyrgyz president appoints female prosecutor

JAN. 29 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kyrgyz president Almazbek Atambayev approved the selection of Indira Dzholdubayeva as prosecutor-general. One of Ms Dzholdubayeva’s main tasks is to clamp down on corruption. Her selection as Kyrgyzstan’s prosecutor-general is eye-catching because Kyrgyzstan is still a male dominated society and she is only 35-years-old.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 217, published on Feb. 4 2015)

Kyrgyz, not Tajiks, kills in Libya

JAN. 30 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kyrgyzstan’s foreign ministry confirmed that three Kyrgyz — a pilot and two flight attendants working for a private airline — died in an attack by masked gunmen on a hotel in Tripoli, Libya on Jan. 27. Initial reports from Libya mistook the Kyrgyz for Tajiks.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 217, published on Feb. 4 2015)

Russia ratifies alliance with Abakhazia

JAN. 23 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Russian parliament ratified a new alliance with the Georgian rebel region of Abkhazia. The deal will increase Russia’s military presence in the region. Georgia denounced the deal as aggressive. Russia also plans to sign a similar pact with South Ossetia, another Georgian breakaway region.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 216, published on Jan. 28 2015)

Tajikistan plans more cement factories

JAN. 21 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — The authorities in Tajikistan want to build six new cement-making plants, media reported quoting government officials. Currently Tajikistan is an importer of cement. It wants to become a net exporter of cement. Chinese investment has fueled a building boom in Tajikistan over the past couple of years.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 216, published on Jan. 28 2015)

What prices rise in Kyrgyzstan

JAN. 27 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — The price of wheat in Kyrgyzstan has reached a record high because of a poor crop last year, high energy prices and the falling value of the Kyrgyz som, media quoted media reported. Kyrgyz households are sensitive to food price fluctuations as they spend around 60% of their income on food.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 216, published on Jan. 28 2015

Toshiba looking to build Kazakh nuclear power station

JAN. 22 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Japanese industrial conglomerate Toshiba is negotiating with Kazakhstan to build a new nuclear reactor, media reported. Kazakhstan has been looking to build a new nuclear power station for years. It has earmarked a position for the power station but not yet started work.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 216, published on Jan. 28 2015)

Anti-Charlie Hebdo demo staged in Bishkek

JAN. 26 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — At least 2,500 people protested in the city of Jala-abad in south Kyrgyzstan against the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, media reported. The protest was sanctioned by the authorities and is a reminder of the strong Islamic sentiment in the region.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 216, published on Jan. 28 2015)

Georgian lari hits 10-year lows

>>Pressure building on the C.Bank as lari hits 10-year lows>>

JAN. 27 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Georgia’s economic policymakers have said that they will not intervene to halt the fall in the value of the lari currency.

Pressure has been building on the Central Bank as the lari has lost 7% of its value against the US dollar this year, adding to a 12% loss at the end of 2014.

But economy minister, Giorgi Kadagidze, said that the Central Bank would not start spending its reserves to prop up the currency.

The lari is now trading at over 2 to the US dollar. This is the cheapest that the lari has been for over a decade.

The big worry for Georgian economic decision makers is that inflation will start creeping up.

At its last meeting on interest rates in December, the Central Bank elected to keep the key rate unchanged. The Central Bank chief, Giorgi Kadagidze, said that if there was any hint of inflationary pressure appearing he would raise interest rates.

Georgia had been less affected by the turmoil in Russia’s economy and the drop in oil prices over the past six months. Clearly the poor economic data is beginning to catch up with it.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 216, published on Jan. 28 2015)