Tag Archives: Tajikistan

Tajikistan increases cement exports

JAN. 25 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Tajikistan quadrupled its cement production in 2016 to 2m tonnes and opened up export routes to its neighbours, media reported quoting the ministry of industry. Chinese investment has built three new cement-making factories, adding a vital export to Tajikistan’s economy. Previously Tajikistan had only exported to Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan. Now it also exports to Uzbekistan.

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(News report from Issue No. 314, published on Jan. 27 2017)

Diplomatic spat brews over rail link between Tajikistan and Turkmenistan

JAN. 25 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmenistan’s foreign minister issued a statement complaining about a press release by Tajikistan which said that it wanted to build a railway link to Russia that bypassed Turkmenistan and instead traversed Uzbekistan. The Turkmen statement said that Tajikistan’s press release had been unethical. Uzbek-Tajik relations have improved markedly since the death in September of former Uzbek dictator Islam Karimov. The Turkmen diplomatic note is a reminder the ties between Central Asian countries are often strained and fractured.

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(News report from Issue No. 314, published on Jan. 27 2017)

Tajikistan’s Somon Air flights to Russia to restart

JAN. 27 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Russia agreed to lift restrictions on Tajikistan’s Somon Air flying to the Russian regions after talks in Dushanbe. The routes to Krasnoyarsk, Krasnodar, Ufa and Orenburg by Somon Air are a vital part of the transport infrastructure that allows Tajik migrants to work seasonally across Russia and to send vital remittances home. The Somon Air flights had been banned since mid-December after a row between the two countries’ aviation divisions.

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(News report from Issue No. 314, published on Jan. 27 2017)

Sweden’s Telia accuses Tajikistan of slapping it with bogus tax bill

JAN. 17 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Telia Company, the Swedish telecoms company, accused the Tajik government of posting a bogus tax claim against its Tajikistan-based subsidiary Tcell.

In a statement, the head of Telia’s Eurasia division, Emil Nilsson, said that the tax authorities in Tajikistan had handed Tcell a claim for May 2015 to June 2016 of 155m somoni ($19.6m) — more than the company’s entire revenue for 2015.

“We are very concerned with the situation which we believe is totally unacceptable,” Mr Nilsson said.

Central Asia governments have previously tried to raise revenue by slapping large fines for tax violations on Western companies. And this is exactly what Telia, in its abrupt statement, said was the scenario currently playing out with the Tajik authorities.

“The Tajik operator Tcell has appealed what is considered to be an illegal tax claim,” it said in the statement entitled ‘Telia appeals illegal tax claims in Tajikistan’. “The authorities in Tajikistan are basing their tax claim on revenue that Tcell has never generated, so called ‘un- realised revenue’.”

The Tajik authorities may feel that Tcell is vulnerable. Telia is trying to offload its businesses in Central Asia and the South Caucasus after a corruption scandal in Uzbekistan was uncovered that tarnished Telia’s global image and damaged Central Asia’s reputation for governance.

In September 2016, Telia agreed to sell its 60% stake in Tcell to the Aga Khan for $39m. The Aga Khan already owns 40% of the company.

In its statement, Telia said that it had expected the deal to be signed off by the Tajik authorities by the end of 2016. This has been delayed, though, without clear reason, Telia said.

The Tajik authorities have not commented on either the tax-linked fine or the delay in granting permission for Aga Khan to buy Telia’s stake in Tcell.

Tajikistan’s economy has been hit hard by a recession in Russia, making finding potential buyers for Tcell difficult.

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(News report from Issue No. 313, published on Jan. 20 2017)

Tajikistan to resume Air-links talks with Russia

JAN. 19 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Talks between Russia and Tajikistan over restarting air-links, vital for Tajikistan’s remittance-dependent economy, will resume on Jan. 26, media reported. Both countries cut air-links in December after a row. Without the vital air-link to Moscow and other major Russian cities, young Tajik men will not be able to travel to Russia, the source of most of the remittance cash.

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(News report from Issue No. 313, published on Jan. 20 2017)

Tajikistan cancels electricity rationing

JAN. 14 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Tajikistan cancelled electricity rationing because a new thermal power station has come online and the water levels in its reservoirs, vital for turning the hydropower stations, are high. This is important because power rationing had become a staple of Tajik life every winter. Tajikistan wants to turn itself into something of a regional electricity hub.

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(News report from Issue No. 313, published on Jan. 20 2017)

Tajik President appoints son as mayor

JAN. 13 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Tajik president Emomali Rakhmon appointed his eldest son, Rustam Emomali, to be the mayor of Dushanbe, attracting accusations of nepotism. Mr Emomali, 29, previously headed the government’s anti-corruption unit and is head of the Tajik football federation. Analysts have said that Mr Rakhmon is grooming his son to take over from him.

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(News report from Issue No. 312, published on Jan. 13 2017)

A new mayor of Tajik Capital

JAN. 13 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — >> I read on page 6 that Tajik president Emomali Rakhmon has made his son the mayor of Dushanbe. Why has he done this?

>> Essentially it looks as if this is a continuation of a process that has been happening for some time. Rakhmon, who has been in power since the mid 1990s, is thinking about succession and this means handing over power to his son, Rustam Emomali. Last year, Pres. Rakhmon forced through changes to Tajikistan’s constitution that should make it easier for his son to take over. A pliant parliament voted to approve changes which mean that both Rakhmon and his son will be eligible to run in a 2020 election.

>> How is the rule on presidential candidates being over 35-years-old important?

>> Put simply, it looks as if Rakhmon is hedging his bets with these constitutional changes. Rakhmon will be 68-years-old when the next presidential election comes along in Tajikistan, probably in November 2020. He may not be in the best health then and may want to give up governing. If he does, dropping the 35- year-old minimum age rule allows his son, Rustam, to stand. Rustam will be 32-years-old in Nov. 2020.

>> And the mayoral position in Dushanbe?

>> This is an important position in Tajikistan. All the country’s wealth is situated in Dushanbe. Apartment prices on Rudaki, the main avenue running through Dushanbe, are among the most expensive in the region. Rustam Emomali will also be given a sizeable budget to manage, with all its challenges and pitfalls. This is like- for-like training for the top job.

>> What has Rustam Emomali done before this?

>> He’s had a few serious jobs in Tajikistan. He has previously been the head of the country’s customs service and its main anti-corruption agency, the Agency for State Financial Control. Rustam Emomali also has an international profile as he is head of Tajikistan’s football federation. A keen footballer, he used to play centre forward for one of Tajikistan’ s top football clubs.

>> How have international organisations reacted to the promotion of Rustam Emomali as mayor of Dushanbe?

>> Predictably, many of the Western groups are frustrated. They have said for a while that Pres. Rakhmon is acting in an increasingly autocratic manner. Promoting his son to such an important position, to them, confirms this. It also builds on the feeling that Rakhmon is acting as a control freak. Tajikistan’s opposition have been hounded and imprisoned, news websites and social media are often shut down for spurious reasons. This said, security-conscious regional governments are far less likely to be bothered about the grooming of Rakhmon’s son to take over from him.

>> So, what next?

>> Keep a close eye on Rakhmon’s health and also how Rustam Emomali is perceived to perform as mayor of Dushanbe. It’s a position where, if he slips up, he can make enemies. And, the nearer the 2020 election get, the more attention you need to pay to just how Pres. Rakhmon and his son, Rustam, are positioning themselves. The opposition has been hollowed out so whatever they decide between themselves will fly.

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(News report from Issue No. 312, published on Jan. 13 2017)

Rakhmon invites Uzbek president Dushanbe

DEC. 29 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Tajik president Emomali Rakhmon has invited his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Dushanbe, media reported, another major step towards normalising ties between the two neighbours after more than two decades of frosty relations. Since Mr Mirziyoyev took over as Uzbekistan’s leader in September, Uzbekistan has looked to improve relations with its neighbours.

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(News report from Issue No. 311, published on Jan. 6 2017)

Russia wants airbase in Tajikistan

DEC. 27 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Kremlin has started talks with the Tajik leadership on taking over the Anyi airbase in Tajikistan, media quoted the Russian ambassador in Dushanbe as saying. Russia already operates a military base in Tajikistan as well as an airbase in Kyrgyzstan. Taking over the airbase would still represent a rise in Russia’s military presence in the region.

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(News report from Issue No. 311, published on Jan. 6 2017)