AUG.11 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili responded to criticism from US senators that Georgia was unfairly prosecuting former president Mikheil Saakashvili for abuse of power by saying his prosecution would create a more equal society.The US, Georgia’s most important ally, has said charges against Mr Saakashvili are politically motivated.
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(News report from Issue No. 195, published on Aug. 13 2014)
AUG. 8 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The level of water in the Toktogul reservoir in Kyrgyzstan, vital for the country’s hydroelectric power production, is down by roughly a quarter because of the especially dry Central Asian summer, media reported. Uzbekistan has also reduced gas supplies leading analysts to predict energy shortages this winter.
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(News report from Issue No. 195, published on Aug. 13 2014)
AUG. 13 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – This is the age of austerity and when money is tight, costs have to be trimmed.
That’s certainly the message Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev was sending out when he announced that he was merging several ministries.
“It is hard to understand, why one government body must be responsible for oil and gas, while another one deals with solid energy resources, the third department controls the power grid and the fourth one the nuclear industry,” Reuters quoted Mr Nazarbayev as saying. “This is why I believe it is time to concentrate the entire energy sector in the hands of one person.”
He appointed his ally Vladimir Shkolnik head of a new super Energy Ministry that merged the Oil and Gas Ministry, the Environmental Protection Ministry and the Ministry for Industry.
Kazakhstan’s economic growth has slowed due to sanctions on Russia over its interference in Ukraine and the failure of the giant Caspian Sea oil field Kashagan to start producing.
Mr Nazarbayev’s downsizing didn’t stop with the energy sector. He disbanded the Agency for Fighting Financial Crimes and gave its responsibilities to the Agency for Civil Affairs and also cut the Ministry for Emergencies, handing its duties to the Interior Ministry.
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(News report from Issue No. 195, published on Aug. 13 2014)
AUG.12 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan has said it will export power to Iraq and Afghanistan, media reported. The deal is particularly important for the US which has urged Azerbaijan to increase its involvement in regional politics. Azerbaijan has become relatively rich through oil and gas exports.
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(News report from Issue No. 195, published on Aug. 13 2014)
AUG. 5 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbekistan’s military detained five Tajik shepherds and their livestock for a week after they strayed into Uzbek territory, media reported, briefly heightening tension between the two neighbours. Uzbekistan- Tajikistan relations are particularly important to monitor for stability in Central Asia.
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(News report from Issue No. 194, published on Aug. 6 2014)
AUG. 5 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan complained to Belarus after reports circulated it had awarded Kurmanbek Bakiyev, a former Kyrgyz president living in Minsk since fleeing in a revolution in 2010, one of its highest awards. A row with Belarus may have implications for Kyrgyzstan’s entry into the Russia-led Customs Union. Belarus and Kazakhstan are already members.
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(News report from Issue No. 194, published on Aug. 6 2014)
AUG. 5 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Exports of Georgian wine, a national icon for Georgia, nearly doubled in the first seven months of the year, media reported quoting the national wine agency. Most of this increase, the agency reported, was to Russia which has reopened its markets to Georgian products over the last year.
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(News report from Issue No. 194, published on Aug. 6 2014)
AUG. 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – At least 15 soldiers died around the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh on probably the worst week of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan since a cease-fire in 1994.
Both sides accused the other of breaking various promises and aggravating the stand-off. International observers said they were worried the situation may slide into open conflict.
“We are seriously concerned about the recent upsurge in violence along the line of contact. The cease-fire needs to be respected,” James Warlick, a US mediator between Azerbaijan and Armenia, wrote on Twitter.
The Nagorno-Karabakh stand-off is considered one of the world’s most dangerous so-called frozen conflicts.
Armenian-backed rebels have controlled the region since the UN-brokered 1994 cease-fire. Azerbaijan, though, has always pledged to re-take the enclave and has spent millions of dollars, earned through its booming energy industry, re-arming its military.
In a sign of just how sharply the situation has worsened around Nagorno-Karabakh, reports said that President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and President Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia have agreed to meet up to discuss the situation. This is rare but is a positive sign.
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(News report from Issue No. 194, published on Aug. 6 2014)
AUG. 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakhstan’s Alliance Bank agreed a debt restructuring deal with creditors ahead of a merger with Temirbank and ForteBank, owned by Kazakh billionaire Bulat Utemuratov. It’s an important deal for the government, which owns 51% of Alliance Bank and has been looking to sell it.
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(News report from Issue No. 194, published on Aug. 6 2014)
JULY 30 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Profit at Toronto-based Centerra Gold, owner of Kyrgyzstan’s Kumtor gold mine, fell because of low gold prices, media reported. Kumtor is Centerra Gold’s main asset and the focus of a major row with the Kyrgyz government. Ian Atkinson, Centerra Gold CEO, also said he was confident of a deal with the Kyrgyz government soon.
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(News report from Issue No. 194, published on August 6 2014)
