Category Archives: Uncategorised

Copyright law bypassed Kyrgyzstan

NOV. 21 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Barclays Pub, Kyrgyz Fried Chicken, a Burger King with a backwards ‘N’ sourced from the Russian alphabet and many others. Copyright law often seems to have passed Kyrgyzstan by.

But the faux TGI Fridays that appeared in Bishkek earlier this year was perhaps the boldest alleged violator of property rights in over two decades of Kyrgyz independence.

After the official owners of the chain launched a formal complaint against the chain, distributed in Kyrgyz media, the restaurant has been out of reach, unavailable over the telephone, while its social media, previously actively used, has been shut down completely.

“A local company without any permission from the owner of the exclusive rights [to the franchise] copied the sign of the institution, furnishings menu and even the waiters’ uniforms,” read a statement issued to Kyrgyz outlets.

The group’s lawyers said the owners of the chain, Sentinel Capital Partners and TriArtisan Capital Partners, would prefer not to sue the owners of the Bishkek restaurant, but would seek legal action.

Few doubted that the restaurant was a fake. A critic of local eateries, Enot.kg, referred humorously to the “mysterious Bishkek brother of the American restaurant chain”, in its review of the place, noting that a real TGI Fridays branch would not offer clients the opportunity to smoke oriental-style water pipes as they ate steaks and burgers.

An inspection of the restaurant by a Conway Bulletin correspondent found the restaurant was still open and that, according to a waitress who refused to give her name had no plans to close. Asked if the restaurant was related to the US chain the waitress simply said: “It should be.”

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)

European Games to cost $8b Azerbaijan

NOV. 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan will spend an estimated $8b putting on the inaugural European Games next year, media reported, making it one of the most expensive international sports tournaments.

Most people in Azerbaijan support the government’s drive to host the games, which it will also use to showcase the country, but they also told the Bulletin that $8b was too extravagant and that an array of social problems, from low pensions to still crumbling healthcare and education systems needed the cash more urgently.

“This is ridiculous,” said Shahin Gasimov, 64, a retired teacher.

“I receive $200 pension a month. Spending $8b on the Games is not fair.”

Guler Hajiyeva, 22, a graduate student agreed. She said: “I’m sure that we did not need this in Baku. What we need is a better healthcare system, a quality education.”

However, Rauf Gulamov 32, an entrepreneur said that he thought the European Games will improve Azerbaijan’s international standing.

“I don’t know how much money would be fair to spend for this games. Maybe $8b is a lot, maybe not but I am sure that we need the Games and that they will be good.”

The Baku 2015 European Games will feature 16 Olympic and four non-Olympic sports. Alongside traditional sports such as athletics, swimming and gymnastics, new sports such as 3×3 basketball, beach soccer and karate will also be showcased.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)

Azerbaijan welcomes Total targets

NOV. 20 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – French oil major Total expects to start gas production at the Apsheron field by 2021, media reported by quoting Eric Meyer, Total’s planning development manager. The announcement will no doubt be welcomed by Azerbaijan which wants its energy production credentials increased.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)

Abdullayev visits Turkmenistan, again

NOV. 20 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijani media reported on yet another trip to Ashgabat by the head of Socar, Azerbaijan’s oil and gas company, Rovnag Abdullayev.

Mr Abdullayev was in Ashgabat for the opening of major gas conference. It’s an important time for Azerbaijan- Turkmenistan relations because Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has agreed to sign up to a new pipeline running from Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, to Europe.

Visits by Mr Abdullayev to Ashgabat may appear fairly routine but each trip brings the two countries closer together.

Europe sees Turkmen gas as critical for reducing its reliance on Russian energy and considers the pipeline running from the Caspian Sea to central Europe to be the easiest way to supply the gas.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)

Telenor worries in Uzbekistan

NOV. 19 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Norway’s government summoned the head of Telenor, the telecoms company in which it owns a 54% stake, to explain newspaper reports which have alleged that VimpelCom, a part-owned subsidiary, paid bribes in Uzbekistan to win business, Bloomberg reported.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)

Latvia President flies to Georgia

NOV. 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Latvian president Andris Berzins flew to Tbilisi for a two-day visit that will culminate in laying a wreath at a Georgian war memorial and a declaration of Georgia’s territorial integrity. This is important for Georgia because Latvia will hold the EU’s rotating presidency for the first half of 2015.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)

Pakistan aims to import Tajik electricity

NOV. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Pakistan wants to export Tajik electricity on to other consumer countries, Pakistani media quoted a senior government official as saying. The announcement is, potentially, good news for Tajikistan which is looking for markets for its hydropower. Tajikistan and Pakistan are working on a grid system called CASA-1000.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)

Azerbaijan’s ex-deputy minister arrested

NOV. 25 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Highlighting Azerbaijan’s deep- rooted problem with corruption, police arrested former deputy defence minister Salimov Mehman for alleged corruption, media reported. Mr Mehman had been deputy defence minister from 1995 to 1999.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)

EU and Uzbekistan talk human rights

NOV. 18 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbekistan and the EU held the eighth round of bilateral talks focused on human rights in Brussels. Uzbekistan’s minister for justice, Nigmatilla Yuldashev and the EU’s head of human rights, Silvio Gonzato, headed the delegations. The EU said Uzbekistan had made progress eradicating child labour in the cotton industry.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)

Kazakh Capital Bank signs Arsenal

NOV. 21 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakh bank Capital Bank signed a deal with top-tier London-based football club Arsenal to use its branding on a new debit card.The deal underlines the confidence and ambition of Kazakh companies. This is the first deal between a Premier League team and a Kazakh company.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 210, published on Nov. 26 2014)