Tag Archives: Turkmenistan

Power exports to run alongside TAPI, say Turkmen officials

JAN. 19 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmenistan said it wanted to build an electricity transmission line alongside the so-called TAPI gas pipeline that, if it all goes to plan, will pump Turkmen gas to Pakistan and India, across Afghanistan, potentially challenging the World Bank-backed CASA-1000 project which will supply Pakistan with electricity generated by hydropower stations in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Turkmenistan has been building gas-fuelled power stations and wants to become known for its electricity, and gas, exports.

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

Candidates register for Pres. election in Turkmenistan

JAN. 18 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmenistan’s Central Election Commission said that nine candidates, including incumbent Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, had registered to stand in a presidential election set for Feb. 12. Mr Berdymukhamedov, standing for his third term, is expected to win. Western observers have never judged a Turkmen election to be free or fair.

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

Armenia wants Turkmen gas via Iran

JAN. 9 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenian PM Karen Karapetyan said he wanted to boost trilateral ties with Iran and Turkmenistan to potentially import Turkmen gas via Iran. Armenia has developed relations with Iran over the past few years. Iran and Turkmenistan are yet to respond to Mr Karapetyan’s proposal.

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

Turkmenistan looks to boost oil output

JAN. 6 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmenistan wants to attract foreign investors to help develop its North Goturdepe oil field in the Caspian Sea, media reported. The field was discovered in 2010 and has been developed by Turkmenistan. It currently produces around 68,000 barrels/day. It wants to double production.

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

Turkmenistan cuts gas supplies to Iran

JAN. 1 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmenistan cut gas supplies to Iran, Iranian media reported quoted Iranian officials, straining what had been considered to be a budding regional relationship. In December Turkmenistan had accused Iran of owing it $2b for unpaid gas. Iran has denied this and said that the debt had been settled or was on the way to being settled. It has now said that it will sue Turkmenistan. The row is important because relations between Iran and Turkmenistan have been improving for some time, lending weight to Turkmenistan’s mission to become a regional gas powerhouse.

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

Nicklaus prepares to build golf course in Turkmenistan

DEC. 16 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — In an interview with the AP news agency, US golfing legend Jack Nicklaus said that he has made five trips to Turkmenistan since agreeing to design a golf course in the country earlier this year. He said that he is building two courses – a championship course and a learners’ course, at the Turkmen Black Sea coast resort of Awaza. He said that the course should be playable from July.

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(News report from Issue No. 310, published on Dec. 23 2016)

Turkmenistan and Iran row over $2b gas bill

DEC. 21 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmenistan has accused Iran of not paying $2b of debt linked to gas supplies, media reported, threatening to sour carefully crafted friendly relations between the two neighbours.

The Russian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty quoted an unnamed Turkmen official as saying that Iran still owed it $2b for gas supplied since 2012. In return the Iranian state-run Fars news agency quoted an Iranian official as saying that Turkmenistan was using the tougher winter months, when Iran needs more gas, as a weapon. The Iranian official threatened to break off commercial links with Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan and Iran have pulled together since Western sanctions were imposed on Iran in 2012 for its alleged determination to build a nuclear weapon.

During this time Turkmenistan’s gas supplies to Iran have doubled to 10b cubic metres. Iran also imports electricity from Turkmenistan.

The payment system, though, is complicated because of a series of barter deals. Earlier this year, Turkmenistan and Iran announced a deal through which Iran would take $30b of Turkmen gas over the next 10 years in exchange for $30b of technical assistance.

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(News report from Issue No. 310, published on Dec. 23 2016)

Uzbekistan develops ties with Pakistan

DEC. 22 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — On a trip to Pakistan, Uzbekistan’s deputy PM Ulugbek Rozukulov agreed with Pakistani business minister Khurram Dastgir Khan to set up a joint business council to improve ties between the two countries. Since former president Islam Karimov died in September, Uzbekistan has worked to improve relations with its neighbours. Pakistan has also invested more time into developing ties in the Central Asia region. It is part of both the CASA-1000 project to import electricity from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and also part of the TAPI gas pipeline project to import gas from Turkmenistan.

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(News report from Issue No. 310, published on Dec. 23 2016)

Seimens eyes up Turkmenistan

DEC. 19 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — German manufacturer Seimens is reportedly eying up extending credit to Turkmenistan to build the TAPI gas pipeline that will run to India across Afghanistan and Pakistan. Media said that the $2.5b loan deal would hinge around Turkmenistan buying Seimens equipment for its compressor stations. Turkmenistan considers the TAPI pipeline deal to be vital for its future economic success.

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(News report from Issue No. 310, published on Dec. 23 2016)

Turkmen officials purge Gulenists

DEC. 8 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Security forces in Turkmenistan have detained dozens of people with alleged links to Turkey’s Gulen movement, Eurasianet reported quoting relatives. Turkey, one of Turkmenistan’s biggest foreign allies, accuses followers of the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen of a failed coup in July. It has asked its allies in Central Asia and the South Caucasus to persecute Gulenists.

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(News report from Issue No. 309, published on Dec. 16 2016)