NOV. 21 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakhstan’s upper house of parliament passed a so-called luxury tax that will increase excise duty on cigarettes and alcohol. The increase in excise duty is designed to bring prices of hard alcohol and cigarettes in Kazakhstan in line with Russia and Belarus, its Customs Unions partners.
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(News report from Issue No. 162, published on Nov. 27 2013)
NOV. 20 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Uzbek government fired the head of its gas pipeline monopoly Uztransgaz, Tulyagan Jurayev, less than a month after the head of Uzbekneftegas, the state energy company, was also sacked. It’s unclear why Mr Jurayev was sacked. Analysts said it may be part of a power struggle in Uzbekistan.
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(News report from Issue No. 161, published on Nov. 20 2013)
NOV. 20 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has made clear he wants to transform, relatively, Kazakhstan’s economy.
He wants to sell stakes in the three banks that the state had to bail out in the 2008/9 global financial crisis, unify and nationalise Kazakhstan’s pension schemes and launch a handful of companies onto the stock exchange.
There’s a lot to do and that, analysts said, is probably the driving force behind his recent reshuffle.
Last month Mr Nazarbayev installed Kairat Kelimbetov, well-known for his loyalty, as head of the Kazakh Central Bank. Analysts also said the promotion on Nov. 5 of Bakhyt Sultanov from deputy head of the presidential administration to finance minister was driven by a similar motivation.
“The new budget, which carried an increase in taxation, the lifting of the pension age and the possible elimination of the so-called new-born cheque are controversial matters,” said Nygmet Ibadildin an Almaty-based analyst. “The promotion (of Sultanov) shows that the president is fully in control.”
Eldar Madumarov, an economics professor in Almaty, agreed. He also said that Bolat Zhamishev’s move from finance minister to regional development minister should be considered a promotion and not a demotion.
“Zhamishev is deemed to be responsible and was moved to be regional development minister,” he said.
Since clashes between protesters and police in 2011 killed 15 people in western Kazakhstan, the Kazakh government has prioritised improving life in the regions.
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(News report from Issue No. 161, published on Nov. 20 2013)
NOV. 17 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Giorgi Margvelashvili took the oath to become the new president of Georgia, ending a decade dominated by Mikheil Saakashvili, leader of the 2003 Rose Revolution. Mr Margvelashvili is an ally of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Mr Saakashvili’s biggest rival. Mr Margvelashvili has pledged to improve relations with Russia.
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(News report from Issue No. 161, published on Nov. 20 2013)
NOV. 7 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Incumbent Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon won re-election with 83.1% of the vote in a presidential election. Mr Rakhmon didn’t face any genuine opposition in the election which observers have described as a sham. Mr Rakhmon, who consolidated his power in the mid-1990s after a civil war, will now rule until 2020.
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)
NOV. 10 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Georgia’s President-elect Giorgi Margvelashvili said he might attend the 2014 Winter Olympics Games in Sochi, Russia. His attendance would be a major boost to Russia-Georgia relations which were strained to breaking point by a personal feud between outgoing President Mikheil Saakashvili and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)
NOV. 7 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Fuel shortages and a power struggle in Uzbekistan appear to have claimed another major scalp in Shavkat Majidov, the long-serving first deputy chief of Uzbekneftegaz. Although no official information has been made available, media reported Uzbek President Islam Karimov sacked Mr Majidov over continued fuel supply problems.
Mr Majidov was a powerful man, in charge of oil-related affairs in Uzbekistan and closely linked with Gulnara Karimova, Mr Karimov’s elder daughter.
Ms Karimova had once been considered a potential presidential successor but more recently she has come under pressure from rivals. Prosecutors in Europe and Uzbekistan have opened investigations into her business affairs; her supporters are being targeted.
Mr Majidov’s removal, according to a media report, is linked to an investigation into shortages at the Ferghana Oil Refinery. Ms Karimova’s ally Akbarali Abdullayev had controlled the refinery until police arrested him in October. This arrest, it appears, left Mr Majidov vulnerable. It has also allowed outsiders another glimpse of the interwoven world of politics and business in Uzbekistan.
Sultan Alisher, a member of parliament loyal to Mr Karimov, and director of the Shurtangaz chemical plant, has taken over as deputy head of Uzbekneftegaz. He’s a safe pair of hands that Mr Karimov can rely on as the power game in Uzbekistan unfolds.
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)
NOV. 6 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev promoted the deputy chief of the presidential staff, Bakhyt Sultanov, to finance minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle. Mr Sultanov, 42, replaces Bolat Zhamishev who moves on to become regional development minister, considered an important role in Kazakhstan.
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(News report from Issue No. 160, published on Nov. 13 2013)
OCT. 31 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Talking to Reuters, Ian Atkinson, CEO of Toronto-listed mining company Centerra Gold, said shareholders would reject a demand from the Kyrgyz government that they reduce their stake in the Kumtor gold mine to 33%. A tentative 50-50 deal had been agreed but Kyrgyzstan wants a bigger stake in the country’s main economic asset.
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(News report from Issue No. 159, published on Nov. 6 2013)
OCT. 18 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Grigory Marchenko, the former chairman of the Kazakh Central Bank, told Russian media that he is considering moving into the private financial sector. Mr Marchenko also denied speculation that he was sacked from the Central Bank earlier this month. Instead, he insisted that he had quit for family reasons.
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(News report from Issue No. 157, published on Oct. 23 2013)
