Tag Archives: Tajikistan

Tajikistan to launch first sovereign debt issue

DUSHANBE, AUG. 30 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Brushing aside a worsening banking crisis, Tajikistan said that it was going to launch its first ever sovereign bond .

Commentators said that the Eurobond could be issued at the start of September and have a lifespan of around nine years, although they did not give a coupon value. The cash raised in the Eurobond would go towards funding the construction of the Rogun Dam, one of the biggest hydropower projects in the world.

It will also make Tajikistan the second country in Central Asia, after Kazakhstan, to issue sovereign debt, giving Western investors increased exposure to the region.

Media later said that Tajikistan was aiming to raise $500m through the Eurobond that was likely to have a coupon of around 7.625%.

Shortly after the announcement, ratings agency Moodys, which has Tajikistan at the “highly speculative” investment grade of B3, warned potential investors of the risks involved in a Tajik investment. It said that Tajikistan’s banks were under increased pressure.

“The issuer rating also incorporates the credit challenges posed by institutions that are weak on a global scale, although progress on financial reforms and macroeconomic stability indicate some improvements,” it said.

Over the past 15 months, the Tajik government has rolled out a bailout plan to stop banks from going bankrupt.

The Central Asia region has been recovering from a prolonged economic downturn linked to a recession in Russia and a collapse in oil prices from mid-2014.

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Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 342, published on Sept. 7 2017)

Iran drops tax on foodstuffs to Central Asia

SEPT. 4 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Iran has lifted an export tax on foodstuffs being sent to Central Asia and the South Caucasus, media quoted Abdollah Mohajer, the head of Mazandaran Province Chamber of Commerce, as saying. The export tax had covered a range of products including pistachio nuts, cabbages, dates and raisins. Ditching the export tax is likely to drop the price of sending foodstuffs to Central Asia by up to 20%. Iran is increasingly trying to tap into Central Asia and the South Caucasus as natural export markets for is various products.

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Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 342, published on Sept. 7 2017)

Tajikistan boosts intelligence sharing with China

SEPT. 1 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — On a trip to Beijing, Tajik president Emomali Rakhmon agreed to a general boost in relations with China that included a clause to increase intelligence sharing. China has been increasing its security and diplomatic efforts across Central Asia over the past few years, part of its ‘Belt and Road’ initiative to boost trade with Europe. Last year it also agreed to build a network of security outposts along Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan.

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Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 342, published on Sept. 7 2017)

Tajikistan accuses Iran of meddling in civil war

AUG. 9 2017 (The Bulletin) — A documentary aired on state TV in Tajikistan accused Iran of meddling in a civil war in the 1990s by sending in assassins to kill various political leaders. Iran immediately denied the allegations which threaten to undermine important Tajikistan-Iran relations. Tajikistan has been holding a series of events commemorating the end of the civil war that led to the rise of Emomali Rakhmon as president.

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Copyright ©Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 339, published on Aug. 13 2017)

 

Tajikistan increases anti-headscarf campaign

AUG. 2 2017 (The Bulletin) — Police in Tajikistan have detained and fined women for wearing hijabs, Islamic headscarves, the Forum 18 News Service reported. Last month, the authorities said they were launching an official campaign against what they described as non-traditional clothing. Forum 18 reported that women have felt “humiliated” for having to remove their headscarves in public.

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Copyright ©Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 336, published on Aug. 5 2017)

 

China to pay for new Tajik parliament

JULY 19 2017 (The Bulletin) — Tajikistan said that China had agreed to give it $230m to build a new parliament building in Dushanbe, more evidence that Beijing is exerting increasing influence in Central Asia by spending billions of dollars on various infrastructure and investment schemes. Earlier this year Tajikistan said that Saudi Arabia was prepared to pay $200m to fund the new parliament building.

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(News report from Issue No. 337, published on July 27 2017)

 

Tajikistan targets opposition activist

JULY 18 2017 (The Bulletin) — Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee accused the Tajik authorities of intimidating 10 relatives of anti- government activists who had taken part in a conference in Germany earlier in the month to mark the anniversary of the the end of the civil war 20 years earlier. HRW said that local officials had threatened the activists with having their property confiscated and banned them from leaving the country.

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Copyright ©Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 337, published on July 27 2017)

 

Telia writes down Ucell, Uzbek subsidiary

JULY 14 2017 (The Bulletin) — Telia, the Swedish-Finnish telecoms company, said that it had written off the value of Ucell, its Uzbek subsidiary, by 2b Swedish krona ($245m) to 1.3b krona ($160m) because of currency and regulatory risks. It wants to sell out of Central Asia after a corruption row focused on its Uzbekistan unit. Earlier this year it sold its majority stake in Tajikistan’s Tcell to the Aga Khan. It appears to be having more difficulty offloading Ucell and its majority stakes in Kazakhstan’s Kcell, Azerbaijan’s Azercell and Georgia’s Geocell.

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Copyright ©Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 337, published on July 27 2017)

 

Tajikistan sets up fashion commission

JULY 21 2017 (The Bulletin) — Concerned about so-called ‘Alien’ clothing, the Tajik government has set up a special commission to persuade ordinary Tajiks to dress in traditional clothes, media reported. Officials in Tajikistan are worried about the spread of extremist Islam and have waged various campaigns against beards that they consider to be too long and also against women’s clothes considered to be too conservative, such as the hijab.

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Copyright ©Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 337, published on July 27 2017)

 

Tajik President daughter heads bank

JULY 18 2017 (The Bulletin) — One of Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon’s daughters, 23-year-old Zarina Rakhmona, was appointed deputy head of Orienbank, a commercial bank, in January, media reported. News of the appointment has only just emerged as it was not announced at the time. The head of the bank is the President Rakhmon’s brother-in- law, Hasan Asadullozoda. Mr Rakhmon has steadily appointed his close family members into increasingly important positions. His son is the mayor of Dushanbe and his eldest daughter is his chief- of-staff.

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Copyright ©Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin — all rights reserved

(News report from Issue No. 337, published on July 27 2017)