Tag Archives: Kyrgyzstan

Kazakhstan’s Kazmunaigas stands aside India’s oil deal

NOV. 26 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Touted as an emerging superpower, India has still appeared sluggish in exerting its influence over Central Asia.

India’s moves in the region had been either incremental, such as talks with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on military cooperation, or long term, such as the TAPI pipeline which will, if everything goes to plan, pump gas from Turkmenistan across Afghanistan and Pakistan to India.

This week, though, India took a giant leap forward in cementing real influence in the region. US energy company ConocoPhillips said it intended to sell its 8.4% stake in the Kashagan oil field development project not to Kazakh state energy company KazMunaiGas but to India’s state-run ONGC.

This is significant as KazMunaiGas would have had the first option to buy the stake. Instead, KazMunaiGas appears to have stood aside to allow ONGC in, although this could still change. It’s going to cost ONGC a reported $5b but with it comes significant influence. Kashagan is Kazakhstan’s most high-profile and prestigious energy project.

Websites have also reported that India wants to invest directly into Turkmenistan’s gas fields. If confirmed, this would be more evidence of India’s stirring ambition in the region.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 115, published on Nov. 30 2012)

Ashton visits Georgia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan

NOV. 26-30 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Catherine Ashton, the EU’s foreign policy representative, completed a whirlwind tour of Georgia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. On her travels she met with opposition leaders as well as the heads of states. Her office said she discussed bilateral cooperation as well as human rights.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 115, published on Nov. 30 2012)

Kyrgyz villagers attack foreign mine

NOV. 29 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Villagers in south Kyrgyzstan have attacked and set fire to a camp used by geologists working for a Russian gold mining company, Reuters reported, dealing another blow to foreign investor confidence. Local people have previously attacked foreign mining operations, blaming them for environmental damage.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 115, published on Nov. 30 2012)

Economic news present conflicting future for Kyrgyzstan

NOV. 19 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Instability stalks Kyrgyzstan. It’s prone to revolution, the rule of law is weak, corruption is deeply-rooted and ethnic tensions simmer just below the surface.

Under-pinning all this is its relatively impoverished economy. Alongside Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan is the poorest country in Central Asia, with little arable land or natural resources.

All this makes the Kumtor gold mine in the mountains of eastern Kyrgyzstan so important. It’s owned by Toronto-listed Centerra Gold (which is, itself, part owned by the Kyrgyz government). The mine makes up around 12% of the country’s annual GDP.

That’s why the announcement earlier this month by Centerra that the gold reserves at the mine are actually more than 50% larger than originally thought was so important (Nov. 8).

Centerra went further and said the life-span of the mine would be extended by another five years to 2023. Good news, indeed, for Kyrgyzstan.

Less positive was an announcement by the Central Bank that it expects inflation to be higher in 2013 than first thought. It now forecasts inflation in 2013 at around 11%, up from an earlier forecast of 8%. Rising food prices have created the inflationary pressure — a bad economic sign not just for Kyrgyzstan but for the entire Central Asia region.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 114, published on Nov. 23 2012)

Kyrgyzstan accuses ICG researcher

NOV. 22 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyz authorities have accused an Irish researcher, Conor Prasad, working for the Brussels-based think tank International Crisis Group (ICG) of stirring ethnic tension in Osh, media reported. The ICG, which publishes influential reports on Central Asia, and Kyrgyzstan in particular, denied the allegations.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 114, published on Nov. 23 2012)

Tajikistan ranks first among remittance-dependent countries

NOV. 22 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – World Bank data showed, again, that Tajikistan’s economy is the most reliant in the world on remittances, media reported. In 2011, remittances, mainly from Russia, accounted for 47% of Tajikistan’s GDP. Second on the list was Liberia with a 31% share. Remittances made up 29% of Kyrgyzstan’s GDP last year.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 114, published on Nov. 23 2012)

HRW criticises Kyrgyz police beatings

Nov. 14 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – US-based Human Rights Watch accused police in southern Kyrgyzstan of stripping detainees and beating them. The Kyrgyz interior ministry denied the charges. Accusations of mistreatment of detainees have dogged police in southern Kyrgyzstan for years.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 113, published on Nov. 16 2012)

Kyrgyz police arrests anti-drugs head

Nov. 13 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Police arrested the head of south Kyrgyzstan’s anti-drugs unit, Eldar Kudaiberdiyev, for bribe- taking, media reported. The arrest underlines the extent of corruption in Kyrgyzstan. This year a ruling parliamentary coalition collapsed, partly because of corruption allegations.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 113, published on Nov. 16 2012)

Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to receive military aid

NOV. 8 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Russia is preparing to give millions of dollars to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to both modernise their armed forces and bolster its own position in Central Asia, Kommersant, a Russian business newspaper, reported by quoting sources. According to the report Kyrgyzstan will receive $1.1b and Tajikistan will receive $200m.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 112, published on Nov. 9 2012)

HRW criticises Kyrgyzstan

OCT. 29 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticised as unfair life jail sentences handed out to two more Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan for offences related to ethnic violence in June 2010. HRW has documented several similar cases in southern Kyrgyzstan. It has said the courts are biased against Uzbeks and are seeking revenge.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 111, published on Nov. 2 2012)