NOV. 17 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan imported 52,000 cars in Jan-Oct this year, a drop of 38.5% from the same period in 2013, media reported quoting the state statistics agency. The drop is likely attributable to a combination of weaker economics and new emissions regulations.
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(News report from Issue No. 209, published on Nov.19 2014)
NOV. 14 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan’s Ata Meken party, one of three parties in the ruling government, said it supported nationalising the Kumtor gold mine. Kumtor is the focus of a row between Kyrgyzstan and its Canadian partner Centerra Gold. Ata Meken may have chosen this populist policy to bolster itself ahead of a parliamentary election next year.
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(News report from Issue No. 209, published on Nov.19 2014)
NOV. 12 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Looking to reduce the threat of sabotage, Russia’s energy ministry asked Kazakhstan to use a pipeline through Ukraine to export its crude oil.
The offer was first made in September, but was only reported by Reuters this month when the state-owned energy transport company, KazTransOil, called for local companies to participate in the bid. Although volumes have not yet been agreed, the agreement should allow Kazakh oil to run through the Druzhba (friendship) pipeline, built in 1964, whose Southern branch terminates in Hungary and the Czech Republic.
By agreeing to help fill the Druzhba pipeline, Kazakhstan is stepping directly into the ongoing civil war in Ukraine and the surrounding proxy conflict between the West and Russia.
For Russia, the benefits are fairly obvious. It wants to retain some use for the major Druzhba pipeline and would be able to charge Kazakhstan rent for using it. Russia would also reduce its risk exposure to the pipeline.
For Kazakhstan, the benefits are less obvious. Taking on the route is a major geopolitical headache.
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(News report from Issue No. 209, published on Nov.19 2014)
NOV. 18 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan has placed an order for 1,500 trucks with Russian manufacturer Kamaz, Russian news agency ITAR-Tass reported. The deal, worth a reported $125m, is a major coup for Kamaz and also underlines other Turkmenistan’s drive to build new infrastructure.
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(News report from Issue No. 209, published on Nov.19 2014)
NOV. 12 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Italian energy major ENI has started to hand out the first contracts to build a shipyard at Kuryk on Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea coast. The shipyard is designed to increase ship building capacity and generate jobs. It was announced as a joint-venture with KazMunaiGaz last year, when the Kazakh economy looked stronger.
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(News report from Issue No. 209, published on Nov.19 2014)
NOV. 11 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan will lose $65m in revenue this year because of a delay in restructuring the Kumtor gold mining project, the country’s biggest industrial operation, media quoted Eldar Tadzhibayev, head of the Kyrgyz mining union, as saying. Kumtor has been the focus of a major row between Kyrgyzstan and its Canadian partners.
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(News report from Issue No. 208, published on Nov.12 2014)
NOV. 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – An oil rig partially collapsed in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, killing at least one worker. This was the second fatal accident on Azerbaijan’s off-shore energy sector in less than a month, throwing up general safety concerns.
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(News report from Issue No. 208, published on Nov.12 2014)
NOV. 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – On a trip to Yerevan, US software company Microsoft praised Armenia’s drive to boost its tech sector. Mark Day, a senior official at Microsoft, described Armenia’s tech sector as reaching a “world level”. Armenia has highlighted technology as an area it can attract foreign investment.
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(News report from Issue No. 208, published on Nov.12 2014)
NOV. 7 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan signed a deal with Turkey to provide gas for a new pipeline running from the Caspian Sea to Europe.
The deal means that Europe will take delivery of Turkmen gas directly, part of a major proposed new gas route that will avoid using Russian infrastructure.
Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan singed the deal with his Turkmen counterpart Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov during a visit to Ashgabat.
“We attach great significance to deliveries of Turkmenistan’s natural gas to Europe via Turkey,” media quoted him as saying.
“Europe’s energy security is important for us.”
Over the past few years, Turkmenistan has boosted its exports of gas dramatically. China is its main client but it has also sorted out alternatives. Joining the so-called TANAP pipeline is a major boon for Mr Berdymukhamedov as well as for Europe.
The TANAP programme will pump gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz 2, which is under construction, to Central Europe by 2019 although it was always envisaged that other countries would also use the pipeline.
Turkmenistan has previously expressed some interest in sending its gas to Europe but had not unveiled any specific plans. Now that a deal with Turkey has been struck, it seems that Turkmenistan is committed to sending its gas to Europe.
Importantly, though, neither Mr Erdogan nor Mr Berdymukhamedov revealed any of the details of the deal.
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(News report from Issue No. 208, published on Nov.12 2014)
NOV. 7 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakhstan will donate $100m to Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz president Almazbek Atambayev said during a trip to Astana to sign a new electricity supply deal. Mr Atambayev described the aid to Kyrgyzstan as can act of fraternal support from Kazakhstan.
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(News report from Issue No. 208, published on Nov.12 2014)
