Category Archives: Uncategorised

Georgia imprisoned ex-minister

OCT. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A court in Georgia sentenced former defence minister Bacho Akhalaia to 7-1/2 years in prison for abuse of power and torture.

Akhalaia is the most high-profile member of the former government of Mikheil Saakashvili to be sent to prison. The current government, headed by members of the Georgian Dream coalition, has said it has to pursue former ministers on various corruption and abuse charges although Mr Saakashvili and his allies have called the charges a witch hunt.

The European Union and the United States have both warned the current government of using its powers to pursue personal vendettas. The US repeated its warning after the imprisonment of Akhalaia.

“We continue to stress to the Georgian Government the importance of due process and rule of law and of conducting investigations with transparency to avoid even the perception that the judicial system is being used for political retribution,” a US State Department spokesman said.

The big risk for the Georgian government is that it is undermining the country’s positive image with the West.

Akhalaia was already held in pre-trial detention. His conviction dates back to the torture of four inmates in 2006 when he was head of the Georgian prison service. He was also a former interior minister.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 206, published on Oct. 29 2014)

Kyrgyzstan wants Turkmen power

OCT. 25 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyz officials flew to Turkmenistan to try to buy more electricity. Kyrgyzstan’s reservoirs are about 25% below capacity and its government has said that it is likely to face a power shortage. Kyrgyzstan has already negotiated to increase power imports from Kazakhstan.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 206, published on Oct. 29 2014)

Negotiations re-open over Tajik-Kyrgyz border

OCT. 27 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Negotiations over the Tajik-Kyrgyz border have re-opened, media reported. This is important because this year there have been several skirmishes along the border. The issue of the Tajiki-Kyrgyz border is one of the most sensitive in Central Asia and has the potential to destabilise the region.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 206, published on Oct. 29 2014)

Kyrgyzstan threatens NGOs

OCT. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Barely a week after Kyrgyzstan’s parliament passed a first reading of a law banning the promotion of gay propaganda, more proposals restricting civil rights have surfaced.

Media reported that Kyrgyzstan wants to restrict NGOs receiving financial support from overseas, forcing groups to submit to tighter auditing and control.

Perhaps most importantly the law is similar to one brought in by Russia in 2012. The anti-gay law was also similar to a law introduced in Russia underlining the increased influence that Russia has over Kyrgyzstan.

The London-based lobby group Institute for War and Peace Reporting wrote: “Many Kyrgyz groups work on civil and political rights, democracy-building, and corruption, and could soon find themselves as beleaguered as their Russian counterparts.”

Kyrgyz officials have defended the new law as essential to monitor groups that could potentially be used to undermine Kyrgyz democracy.

Perhaps, although, similarly to the anti-gay law, the real reason could be Kyrgyzstan’s need to cosy up to Russia.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 206, published on Oct. 29 2014)

Kazakh police arrested Border Guards chief

OCT. 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Police arrested the head of the Kazakh Border Guards Services, a powerful military unit, General Nurlan Dzhulamamnov for abuse of power. It’s unclear exactly what the charges are although the arrest will come as a blow to the Border Guards Service already suffering from an image problem linked to bullying and corruption.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 206, published on Oct. 29 2014)

EU wants better Armenia-Turkey ties

OCT. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The EU is strongly in favour of improved ties between Armenia and Turkey, media quoted a member of the EU delegation to Ankara, Bela Szombati, as saying. Armenia-Turkey ties are strained because of a row over the alleged genocide in eastern Turkey towards the end of the First World War.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 206, published on Oct. 29 2014)

Kazakhstan likely to issue Islamic debt

OCT. 28 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakhstan will probably issue another sovereign or quasi- sovereign bond next year following its $2.5b Eurobond issue in October, the head of the Kazakh Central Bank Kairat Kelimbetov told Reuters in an interview. Mr Kelimbetov said another debt issue would likely be made as a sukuk, a bond linked to Islamic banking principles.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 206, published on Oct. 29 2014)

Azerbaijan hiring US lobbyist

OCT. 23 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Eager to burnish its image in Washington DC, Azerbaijan has signed a $15,000/month deal with US lobbying firm Mair Strategies, the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. Azerbaijan is well-known for paying lobbyists in the United States and Europe to bolster its standards.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 206, published on Oct. 29 2014)

Kazakhstan aims to increase oil production

OCT. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – By 2020 Kazakhstan aims to be producing 100m tonnes of oil a year, up from 82m tonnes currently, media quoted a senior official as saying. The jump in production is mainly attributed to Kashagan, the giant Caspian Sea oil field, finally starting production. It has been delayed by several years.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 206, published on Oct. 29 2014)

Kyrgyzstan to open Baku mission

OCT. 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan announced plans to open an embassy in Baku, underlining its determination to increase cooperation with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is an attractive ally for Kyrgyzstan as it is growing rich from energy exports and has invested in Kyrgyzstan’s economy. Kyrgyzstan needs to increase energy imports.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 206, published on Oct. 29 2014)