JAN. 20 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Human rights groups challenged German Chancellor Angela Merkel to confront Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev over his crack down on free media and civil liberties when he flies into Berlin for talks on Jan. 21. The authorities in Azerbaijan have locked up several anti-government activists.
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(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)
JAN. 19 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — The drop in the price of gas and oil will hit Turkmenistan’s economy, although it will still grow by nearly 10% in 2015, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said in its updated growth forecasts. Turkmenistan’s economy is protected somewhat by contracts with China.
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(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)
JAN. 19 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Centerra Gold, the Toronto-based mining company, said it will produce around 10% less gold from its Kumtor gold mine in eastern Kyrgyzstan this year. The company didn’t specify why gold production at Kumtor would drop this year. This is significant, though, as Kumtor is Kyrgyzstan’s single biggest industrial asset.
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(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)
JAN. 15 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmenistan will modernise and increase the size of its military in 2015, media reported quoting the official newspaper. Turkmenistan and other countries bordering Afghanistan have said that they are increasingly worried about the threat from the Taliban.
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(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)
>>Ferry service highlights increased trade between Turkmenistan and the rest of the world>>
JAN. 15 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Trade between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, the South Caucasus and Europe is increasing, a trend underlined by the docking in Baku of a new ferry.
The ferry, operated by a Turkmen company, can carry up to 200 passengers and 53 trucks across the Caspian Sea. Its main role is to cut the journey time down and to aid trade between Turkmenistan and the Europe.
This is a trend which, under current Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has been accelerating. Mr Berdymukhamedov opened up Turkmenistan in a way that his predecessor, Saparmurat Niyazov, dodged.
Turkmenistan has now not only become a major gas exporter to China and elsewhere but is also a bigger player in global trade.
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(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)
JAN. 20 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan’s
nuclear agency, has agreed a $450m debt deal with Western banks.
The deal, and its size, show that despite an economic downturn some
Kazakh companies are still considered a relatively good bet.
Kazakhstan owns 15% of the world’s uranium supplies.
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(News report from Issue No. 215, published on Jan. 21 2015)
JAN. 10 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Iran is planning on holding its tenth industrial and trade fair in Ashgabat at the end of February, media reported. This is important because it shows how close relations are between the two countries. US-imposed sanctions have been hitting Iran’s economy.
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(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015)
JAN. 13 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkmenistan may increase its gas production by 9% this year, media reported quoting the state information service. Already one of the biggest regional gas producers, Turkmenistan boosted gas exports by 11% last year, mainly to China. The drop in global energy prices will impact the Turkmen government budget.
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(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015)
JAN. 13 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Former Georgian president Mikheil Saaksvhili accused the current Georgian government of turning a blind eye to the hundreds of Georgians who had crossed into Syria and were allegedly fighting for the extremist group IS. The comments by Mr Saakashvili, who is now based in New York, were widely broadcast in Georgia.
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(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015
JAN. 13 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijan’s Central Bank said it spent $1.13b in December supporting its national currency — the manat — counter a falling Russian rouble and a drop in global oil prices. This represents about 8% of its total currency reserves.
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(News report from Issue No. 214, published on Jan. 14 2015)