Category Archives: Uncategorised

Georgian PM sacks foreign minister

SEPT. 1 2015, TBILISI (The Conway Bulletin) — Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili sacked his foreign minister in a cabinet reshuffle that once again promoted people close to his own political mentor, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Giorgi Kvirikashvili was shifted to the foreign ministry from the economy ministry and Tbilisi’s deputy mayor Dimitri Kumsishvili took over the economy ministry brief. Both men had previously worked at Cartu Bank, Mr Ivanishavili’s private bank. Mr Garibashvili, the PM, also worked at Cartu Bank.

Opponents of PM Garibashvili said that he was just doing his master’s bidding by replacing Tamar Beruchashvili, who had disagreed with him publicly on some policies, as the foreign minister but he said the changes were linked to a shift in policy direction.

“The government focuses on economic development and employment. This should also determine our foreign policy,” he said .

Korneli Kakachia, a professor of political science at Tbilisi State University and director of the Georgian Institute of Politics, told The Bulletin that Mr Ivanishvili single-handedly decides what happens in government.

“Mr Ivanishvili only trusts insiders with whom he has worked. That is why Cartubank employees have a privileged position,” he said.

This is a widely held view. Earlier this year, the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International said they were concerned that Mr Ivanishvili wanted to promote people who worked at Cartu Bank to prominent government positions.

“A pattern can be detected of individuals who were formerly employed by companies associated with Bidzina Ivanishvili being appointed to senior positions in the public service,” it said in April.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 246, published on Sept. 4 2015)

Constitution referendum in Armenia likely by end of year

SEPT. 1 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia is likely to hold a referendum in either November or December on constitutional amendments that would transfer power from the president to parliament, a senior member of the ruling HHK group told media.

This is clearest indication yet that a referendum on a new constitution, which the main opposition parties have said is designed to keep President Serzh Sargsyan’s grip on power when he leaves the presidency in 2018, is more than likely this year.

Vahram Baghdasaryan, leader of the HHK group, said: “If not in November, then in the beginning of December.”

This important because of the potentially destabilising impact of a referendum. Widespread street protests against a proposed increase in electricity prices in June showed just had fragile Armenia had become. Now the main opposition groups have pledged to turn the referendum into a de facto vote of confidence in the government and Mr Sargsyan.

Under the current constitution, Mr Sargsyan has to leave the presidency after two consecutive terms. He has said that he will comply with this stipulation but he has also said that he wants to transform Armenia into a parliamentary democracy.

His opponents say that he just trying to organise a power grab from inside parliament and that he wants to continue to run the country.

Armenia’s parliament is currently debating the constitutional changes. The ruling HHK group has said it is prepared to offer concessions to some of Armenia’s disparate opposition groups on the constitutional reform package in exchange for support.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 246, published on Sept. 4 2015)

Attackers target Tajik capital

SEPT. 3/4 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Unidentified men launched a series of attacks on government buildings in Dushanbe, killing at least nine policemen, media reported. Media said the men were linked to Islamic extremism, although this has not been confirmed.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 246, published on Sept. 4 2015)

Activists attack aquarium in Georgian city

AUG. 31 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Up to 10 animal rights activists brawled with security guards at a dolphin aquarium in Batumi on Georgia’s Black Sea coast, media reported. The activists were staging a protest and had demanded that the dolphins be released into the Black Sea. Media reported that the police arrested and charged at least six men for breaking into the aquarium.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 246, published on Sept. 4 2015)

Football success shows Almaty-Astana divide

ALMATY/Kazakhstan, AUG. 26 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — FC Astana, the quasi Kazakh government football project, may have qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time but not everybody was celebrating.

Football fans in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s former capital, noted FC Astana’s success in beating Apoel Nicosia 2-1 over two legs in a qualifying round for Europe’s top football competition, but only grudgingly.

Azimat, 27, was taking a lunch-break from his job selling French wine at a shop in central Almaty. It was one of those graceful late summer days in Almaty. Snow-capped mountains in the background glinted bright in the sun; tree-lined streets provided a natural, fresh canopy for pedestrians. The day had a laid-back — louche, even — feel about it.

“This is definitely Kazakhstan’s glory,” Azimat said of FC Astana’s unexpected victory. “But, they are celebrating in Astana and not down here.” He smiled, proudly. “We are Almaty.”

People in Almaty are used to Astana’s status as the loud, brash newcomer usurping their beloved city. Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev has treated Astana as his pet project, building grandiose government ministries and replicas of some of Europe’s most famous monuments such as the Arc de Triomphe. He made it his capital in 1997, wary of Almaty’s reputation for dissent. Since then he has poured billions into constructing the city of his dreams and shifted business and government agencies north to Astana. The Central Bank will be the last major government agency to move to Astana from Almaty when it shifts its office at the end of 2016.

Much like the city, FC Astana is a new football team. It was established in 2009, wears the national colours and is sponsored by Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund. It has been created to succeed.

Almaty’s team Kairat was the football powerhouse in Kazakhstan but has been firmly superseded by FC Astana and its stars. A few hours after Azimat espoused on FC Astana’s success, Kairat was playing France’s Bordeaux in a qualifying match for Europe’s second tier UEFA Europa League. It won the match but still lost the two-leg tie. Once again, Almaty residents will have to look on as Astana carries the Kazakh flag, searching for more glory.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 246, published on Sept. 4 2015)

Turkmen president travels to Kabul

AUG. 28 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov visited Kabul and signed a series of deals with his Afghan counterparts, highlighting just how important he views improved relations between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.

The bilateral deals were not particularly ground-breaking — two leaders agreed to share financial data more readily as well as improve improve cooperation in the energy and tech sectors — but the trip itself was important.

Although he is beginning to travel more and more, Mr Berdymukhamedov is not a particularly keen traveller so a high- profile meeting with Afghan president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in Kabul is eye-catching.

Mr Berdymukhamedov is worried about the northward march of the Taliban and stability in general in the country.

Earlier this year, reports surfaced which said that Turkmen soldiershadpositioned themselves inside Afghan territory after a series of attacks on their border posts by the Taliban.

Afghanistan is also now a partner in the so-called TAPI gas pipeline project which is planned to run from fields in the east of Turkmenistan to India.

Without stability in Afghanistan and a strong central government the project is likely to remain just a pipe dream.

Expect more Kabul-bound trips by Mr Berdymukhamedov.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 246, published on Sept. 4 2015)

Stock market: Tethys, Nostrum, KAZ Minerals, TBC Bank

SEPT. 3 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Shares in Toronto- and London listed Tethys Petroleum, whose focus is on oil and gas production and exploration in Central Asia, fell significantly after rival Nostrum on Aug. 28 cut a third off the value of an earlier buyout offer.

Tethys shares in Toronto fell by 20% and in London by 29.3%. Tethys responded by saying that it would honour the exclusivity agreement with Nostrum and then look to other companies for potential buyers.

Nostrum said that it had cut its offer after a new due diligence project showed that the original offer had overvalued the company.

In mining, shares in London-listed KAZ Minerals lost 14.2% of their value between Aug. 28 and Sept. 4, wiping gains from August’s devaluation.

KAZ Minerals used to be called Kazakhmys and is focused on copper production.

The Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) of TBC Bank, which are traded in London, fell by around 8% over the week to $9.12, the lowest price to date for the bank.

TBC, which is the largest retail bank in Georgia and counts PM Irakli Garibashvili as a director, has been trading its GDRs in London since 2014.

The Georgian economy, like the rest of the region, has been dealing with the fallout from the slowdown in Russia’s economy. Georgia is also vulnerable to Greece, its second largest source of remittances. There was no particular news from TBC that would have pressures its GDRs.

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(News report from Issue No. 280, published on May 13 2016)

Kazakhstan pressures free media

SEPT. 1 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – The New York-based Human Rights Watch criticised Kazakhstan’s commitment to free speech after it ordered the independent-minded ADAM magazine to be suspended for three months for failing to publish copies in both Russian and Kazakh. The authorities closed down its predecessor ADAM Bol in 2014.

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(News report from Issue No. 246, published on Sept. 4 2015)

Food prices fall in Azerbaijan

SEPT. 3 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – The price of food in Azerbaijan fell by 0.3% in August compared to July, the state’s statistical service told media. The fall in prices highlights the turmoil that the drop in the value of the manat and the collapse in oil prices has created.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 246, published on Sept. 4 2015)

Fighting by Armenian-backed separatists

SEPT. 3 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Shelling along the de facto border around the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh killed at least one Armenian solider, media reported quoting Armenian sources. Sporadic fighting around Nagorno- Karabakh, which is controlled by Armenian-backed separatists, is fairly commonplace.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 246, published on Sept. 4 2015)