Category Archives: Uncategorised

Kyrgyz plan to arm border area

SEPT. 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan lawmakers want to arm villagers living in disputed areas along its borders with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

A majority of Parliamentarians debating the plan say they want to help people defend themselves but the military has said the strategy will only worsen already tense cross- border relations.

The initiator of the legislation, Bakyt Torobayev of the Progress parliamentary splinter faction claims the initiative will save budget money. Paying a civilian that already lives on the border will cost less than housing, feeding and paying a soldier, he has argued.

Kyrgyzstan’s Defence Council issued a statement as parliament discussed the legislation. “(Arming) ordinary citizens without higher or military education and preparation for border service, can have consequences, including their potential participation in illegal migration, narcotics trafficking and contraband,” it said.

Medet Tiulegenov, a political science professor at the American University of Central Asia was also against the plan.

“This issue has been raised in the context of insufficient formal security on the border,” Mr Tiulegenov told The Conway Bulletin. He also said that security issues are beyond the parliament’s formal mandate.

“But when government itself lacks a clear vision on border issues and security in the country, MPs exploit that lack of clarity and try to make a name for themselves,” he said.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 202, published on Oct. 1 2014)

Turkmenistan underlines neutrality

SEPT. 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – n a speech to the UN, Turkmen foreign minister Rashid Meredov underlined Turkmenistan’s neutrality. This is important in regards to Afghanistan where reports have surfaced saying that Turkmen forces have crossed over the border to build defence positions against Taliban incursions.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 202, published on Oct. 1 2014)

Georgian rebel region votes in new president

SEPT. 25 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia swore in Raul Khajimba as its new president after he won an election in August. Georgia has described the election as illegal. Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia after a Georgia-Russia war in 2008. It is considered a Russian vassal state.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 202, published on Oct. 1 2014)

Production delay at Azerbaijan’s Absheron field

SEPT. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – French energy company Total will start oil production at its Absheron site in the Caspian Sea in 2021, Reuters quoted Azerbaijani energy minister Natiq Aliyev as saying, a year later than stated. Total owns 40% of Absheron, Azerbaijani state energy company SOCAR also owns 40% and GDF Suez owns 20%.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 201, published on Sept. 24 2014)

Uzbekistan blocks opposition wife

SEPT. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The authorities in Uzbekistan denied entry to the country to an exiled opposition leader’s wife and son, the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported. RFE/RL said Bahodir Choriev’s wife and son had tried to enter Tashkent via a flight from Istanbul.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 201, published on Sept. 24 2014)

Georgian government seized Saakashvili property

SEPT. 19 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgia stepped up its campaign against former president Mikheil Saakashvili after a court ruled the authorities could seize his property including houses and a vineyard, media reported. Georgia’s prosecutor-general has charged Mr Saakashvili with abuse of office. Mr Saakashvili lives in New York.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 201, published on Sept. 24 2014)

Rising Turkmen oil exports via BTC

SEPT. 19 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan increased oil exports through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline by 70% in the first eight months of the year compared to the same period in 2013, media quoted the national statistics agency as saying. BTC pumps oil from the Caspian Sea to Turkey and then on to Europe.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 201, published on Sept. 24 2014)

Kyrgyz PM sacks two ministers

SEPT. 18 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyz PM Djoomart Otorbayev sacked two cabinet ministers, minister of culture Kamila Taliyeva and interior minister Abdyldy Suranchiyev, his first major reshuffle since taking over the job in March.

The sackings are a nod to public dissatisfaction with the government, with reports growing that many ministers are hanging on to their jobs by a thread.

But they may be less about improving the efficiency of government and more about preparations for next year’s parliamentary elections. With a winter energy crisis expected to put pressure on both President Almazbek Atambayev, affiliated to the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan, and Mr Otorbayev, loosely associated with the socialist Ata-Meken party, dropping a few unpopular officials makes political sense.

Kyrgyz media reported that both the sacked ministers where disliked, making them easy scapegoats for failings across government but personnel changes are unlikely to spare the government public frustration if the winters are as cold as expected, especially with Kyrgyzstan’s power production struggling.

Ulugbek Erkeshev, a Kyrgyz political journalist, said he has seen it all before.

“At a time when they need to be working together as a government around the clock they are passing portfolios around,” he said.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 201, published on Sept. 24 2014)

Kazakh car production rises

SEPT. 19 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakhstan produced 6% more cars between January and August this year compared to the same period in 2013, the state’s statistics committee reported. The data shows that the Kazakh economy is still relatively buoyant despite the decline of the all-important Russian economy.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 201, published on Sept. 24 2014)

Remittances falling for Uzbekistan

SEPT. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Remittances to Central Asia from sanctions-hit Russia have fallen by around 8%, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said. Heaviest hit in Central Asia is Uzbekistan which sends back the most remittances from Russia, although this forms a lower proportion of GDP compared to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 201, published on Sept. 24 2014)