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HRW criticises Kazakhstan over Union closure

JAN. 10 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — The New York-based Human Rights Watch criticised the imminent closure of Kazakhstan’s independent workers’ union, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Kazakhstan, as a violation of the right to freedom of association. A court in Shymkent, south Kazakhstan, had ordered the Union’s closure because it had violated union registration rules. The Kazakh authorities are suspicious of trade unions. They blame them for stirring up an oil workers strike in 2011 that turned into a riot.

ENDS

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

Kyrgyz security services start monitoring Facebook

JAN. 12 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kyrgyzstan’s security services have started monitoring 45 people who have criticised President Almazbek Atambayev on Facebook, the Eurasianet website reported. Eurasianet said that it had seen a memo which the Kyrgyz National Security Committee had written to an MP outlining its plans to watch the people. Human rights groups have previously criticised Kyrgyzstan for clamping down on free speech.

ENDS

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

Markets: Turkish lira, Georgian lari

JAN. 13 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Turkish lira has started the year looking like the sick man of Emerging Market currencies. It dropped to an all-time low of 3.89/$1 on Jan. 10 before pulling back slightly. It has lost 25% in the past year.

The triggers for this are global unease over the incoming US president, Donald Trump, a strong US dollar and Turkey’s own domestic issues hinged around the anti- Gulenist purges currently sweeping through business and government.

The lira is a fragile currency and for the currencies of Central Asia and the South Caucasus, this is a problem. After Russia, Turkey is one of the biggest drivers of regional growth. Istanbul is a natural hub for businesses in the region. Inherent weaknesses in the lira could pull down the rest of the region. And these currencies are already looking weak with the Georgian lari looking under particular pressure. Since December it has surfed around all- times lows of 2.66-2.77/$1.

ENDS

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

Georgian Shilda to export 5m bottles of wine

JAN. 12 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Shilda Wines, owned by former Georgian economy minister Vano Chkhartishvili MP, has made a deal to export 5m bottles of wine to China over the next three years. The deal is the largest ever struck by a wine producer with China. It highlights how important China has become to the Georgian wine market. China is the third biggest Georgian wine importer after Russia and Ukraine.

ENDS

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

High demand triggers Georgian airport expansion

JAN. 9 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — In 2016, 1.8m people used Tbilisi international airport, media reported, more than double the people volume in 2010. The high usage has triggered an expansion scheme. A new arrival terminal will be able to process 3.25m people every year, officials said. The airport is operated by Turkey-based TAV Airports Holding. Georgia has invested millions into boosting tourist numbers, marketing itself as both a seaside destination with its resorts on the Black Sea coast and also as a winter sports hub. Iranians and Iraqis have also been travelling to Georgia to set up businesses.

ENDS

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

ENDS

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

Kazakh Central Bank keeps rates steady

JAN. 9 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakhstan’s Central Bank held its key interest rate as 12% at its first monetary session of 2017 but hinted that cuts would come later in the year to boost economic activity. The challenge for the Kazakh Central Bank is to boost economic activity without undermining confidence in its tenge currency.

ENDS

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

Visa-free travel nears for Georgians

JAN. 12 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — The European Parliament’s civil liberties committee voted to approve visa-free travel for Georgia and Ukraine, setting the stage for a full parliamentary vote on the issue in February or March. The civil liberties committee is considered a powerful sounding- board and analysts said that it was likely that the European Parliament would approve the motion and that Georgians will be able to travel without a visa to the Schengen zone from April or May.

ENDS

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

China embassy attackers in Kyrgyzstan hide in Turkey

JAN. 10 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — The suspects behind the attack on the Chinese embassy in Bishkek last year are in hiding in Istanbul, Kyrgyz media quoted Kyrgyzstan’s ambassador to Turkey as saying. A car bomb killed two people working at the embassy on Aug. 30 2016. The authorities have blamed Uighurs from China’s western Xinjiang Province. Turkey has not commented.

ENDS

(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.

ENDS

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