Category Archives: Uncategorised

Armenia says Azerbaijan killed 3 soldiers

MARCH 19 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – The Armenia-backed government of the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh said that Azerbaijani forces had killed three of its soldiers, one of the worst breeches of a ceasefire in recent months. Azerbaijan said Armenian forces had initiated an attack which it repelled.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 224, published on March 25 2015)

Sargsyan travels to China for deals

MARCH 25 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenian president, Serzh Sargsyan, visited China, signing various deals with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and pledging greater cooperation between the two countries.

Short on regional allies, Armenia is looking for cash and investment to help it out of a worsening economic situation. It is currently overly reliant on Russian business and aid.
With this in mind, Mr Sargsyan’s trip to China was an important one.

“The Chinese government will encourage domestic enterprises to participate in transportation, mining, electricity, information technology and infrastructure sectors in Armenia,” the Xinhua Chinese state information agency quoted Mr Xi as saying.

This is exactly what Mr Sargsyan wanted to hear. Armenian state media said that Chinese trade had increased in importance over the past year and now accounted for 10% of Armenia’s total trade turnover, up from 8% in 2013.

Importantly, too, Mr Xi accepted an invitation to visit Armenia. For Armenia, successfully courting China is important.

China, eager to boost its regional presence, has probably found a willing partner in Armenia.

Perhaps also linked to this general diplomatic push, Armenia said that it is opening a consulate in Ebril, the capital of Kurdish Iraq.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 224, published on March 25 2015)

Divisions grow in Eurasian Economic Union

MARCH 20 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – The Kremlin-led Eurasian Economic Union’s (EEU) first year is shaping up to be one to forget.

A sharp devaluation in the value of the rouble, triggered by Western sanctions and falling oil prices, and meddling in Ukraine’s civil war have hit Russia’s credibility among its former Soviet partners. After a meeting in Astana, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev appeared to distance himself from the Kremlin.

Mr Nazarbayev hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko at the meeting. Armenia, the fourth member of the EEU, didn’t attend.

Mr Nazarbayev appeared to suggest that Mr Putin’s alleged support for rebels in eastern Ukraine had gone too far.

“It is important for any decisions that get made to rely on fundamental principles of international law. We are interested in Ukraine staying a stable, independent, territorially integral country,” he said.

Apparent tension at the meeting in Astana between the leaders wasn’t contained to Ukraine.

Mr Putin once again brought up the prospect of a single currency throughout the Eurasian Economic Union, something that Mr Nazarbayev has already ruled out.

“The time has come to start thinking about forming a currency union,” news reports quoted Mr Putin as saying. Mr Putin also suggested a Central Bank for the single currency could be based in Almaty.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 224, published on March 25 2015)

HRW wants improved human rights in Kyrgyzstan

MARCH 22 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) challenged European leaders to use a trip to Europe by Kyrgyz president Almazbek Atamabayev to call for improved human rights in Kyrgyzstan. In particular, HRW said European leaders should protest against a bill passing through the Kyrgyz parliament that would limit gay rights.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 224, published on March 25 2015)

Atambyaev asks Europe for help stopping IS

MARCH 23 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – On a trip to European capitals, Kyrgyz president Almazbek Atambayev asked the European Union to provide military assistance to help stop the rise of the extremist group IS in Central Asia. IS has targeted Central Asia as a fertile recruitment ground.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 224, published on March 25 2015)

SOCAR issues $750m Eurobond

MARCH 19 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state energy company, said that it had issued $750m worth of 15-year Eurobonds. It had earlier said that it would issue debt but didn’t specify how much. SOCAR said the debt issue was linked to the fall in oil prices.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 224, published on March 25 2015)

Georgia’s economy grew in 2014, says stat office

MARCH 20 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Officially, Georgia’s economy grew by 4.8% in 2014, up from 3.3% in 2013, the Georgian national statistics office said. Georgia has been enjoying growth for a few years. Economists have predicted a slowdown, though, because of a regional economic trough.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 224, published on March 25 2015)

Cheap Russian oil products hits Kazakh producer

MARCH 16 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Canada-based Condor Petroleum halted oil production at its Shoba oil field in west Kazakhstan because the oversupply of cheaper Russian oil products has dented domestic production.

A fall in oil prices and the imbalanced between the Russian rouble and the Kazakh tenge are hurting foreign energy companies in Kazakhstan. “Kazakhstan is experiencing an oversupply of refined oil products, including diesel, which is causing downward pricings pressures on domestically produced diesel and on crude oil,” Condor Petroleum said in a statement.

“Currently, Kazakhstan refineries are either not operating or the offering prices are below the Company’s cost of operations.”

This is, in effect, a criticism of the Kazakh government’s determination to defend the tenge despite the imbalance with the rouble.

Earlier this month a Kazakh official said important upgrade work to Kazakh refineries would have to be postponed because Russian oil products had destroyed their profitability.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 224, published on March 25 2015)

Armenia issues $500m bond

MARCH 19 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia issued a 10-year $500m bond with a yield of 7.5%. Governments in Central Asia and the South Caucasus have been borrowing to offset a drop in their economies.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 224, published on March 25 2015)

Anti child labour group says activist detained in Uzbekistan

MARCH 24 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Cotton Campaign, a lobby group set up to stop Uzbekistan using child labour to pick its cotton, said the Uzbek authorities had detained and arrested one of its in-country reporters. Uzbekistan has not commented.
ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 224, published on March 25 2015)