Category Archives: Uncategorised

Subsidiary of British caterer bribes Kazakh officials

NOV. 3 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A subsidiary of a British catering company paid bribes to Kazakh officials to win contracts, a former employee said, the latest corruption scandal to hit Kazakhstan.

According to Karim Pabani, a former finance director of a Kazakh subsidiary of Compass Group which is one of the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, the company paid for a $19,000 holiday to Dubai for a Kazakh government official and the university fees of the son of another official.

The accusations, which have been denied by Compass Group, will embarrass Kazakhstan which can’t shake off its reputation for corruption. Last month a court in France said it was investigating alleged kickbacks paid by a French company to win Kazakh helicopter contracts.

Mr Pabani’s allegations of corruption with Compass’s local subsidiary Kazmunaigaz Services Compass came during an employment tribunal. He is alleging unfair dismissal.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 207, published on Nov. 5 2014)

Azerbaijan’s police to use stun guns

OCT. 28 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan’s government, already under fire for cracking down on human rights, will allow its police force to carry stun guns. Police will be able to use the stun guns to make arrests and in crowd control scenarios. The decision is likely to draw more criticism.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 207, published on Nov. 5 2014)

Erdogan to visit Turkmenistan

NOV. 3 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkish president Recep Erdogan was due to visit Ashgabat on Nov. 6 for a two-day visit, media reported, his first to Central Asia since switching from being PM to the presidency in August. Mr Erdogan’s visit to Turkmenistan highlights just how important Turkmenistan has become as a global energy supplier.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 207, published on Nov. 5 2014)

Azerbaijan detains talk show host

OCT. 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The authorities in Azerbaijan sentenced Khalid Garayev, a talk show host, to 25 days in detention for alleged hooliganism, media reported. Garayev said the charges were politically motivated. EU and US media lobbyists have accused Azerbaijan of cracking down on media that the authorities dislike.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 207, published on Nov. 5 2014)

Kazakh copper miner company changes name

OCT. 31 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakhmys, the London-listed Kazakh copper miner that anti-corruption campaigners say has strong links to President Nursultan Nazarbayev, has changed its name to KAZ Minerals PLC. KAZ Minerals retains the newer copper mines while the older mines in central Kazakhstan will operate under a new company called Cuprum Holding.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 207, published on Nov. 5 2014)

EU aid still flowing to Armenia

NOV. 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Although Armenia has agreed to join the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, currently called the Customs Union, in 2015, the EU approved a 140m – 170m euros tranche of aid. The aid will be used to bolster the private sector, the justice sector and reform government institutions.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 207, published on Nov. 5 2014)

Kyrgyzstan concerns over EaEU accession

BISHKEK/Kyrgyzstan, NOV 5 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — It would seem to be a done deal. Despite parliamentary opposition from an unlikely cast of nationalists and liberals — as well as serious concerns on the street — Kyrgyzstan appears to be primed to join Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus in the Eurasian Economic Union in 2015.

And, of course, Armenia will accede on the same day.

But accession will be problematic for many Krygyz. The Customs Union, from which the Eurasian Economic Union will emerge, mandates higher tariffs on imports from third countries. China’s share of Kyrgyzstan’s import pie is 55%, dwarfing Russia and Kazakhstan’s combined share of 25%.

Prices for goods from cars to household items will go up significantly. Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has ceded that inflation is likely to jump in the short term after joining the Eurasian Economic Union.

Such price hikes would be hard to swallow anywhere; in a poor country like Kyrgyzstan, they will be punitive. Many people in Bishkek are afraid and everyone from taxi drivers to professionals, is quick to share their concerns.

One Bishkek-based foreign national in the NGO sector underscored this analysis. “Many fear that the lifeblood of Kyrgyzstan’s economy, cheap goods ranging from cars to shower curtains to raw materials imported from China, will either stop flowing due to newly-imposed tariffs or will dramatically rise in price,” he said, preferring to remain anonymous.

Of course, Russia and Kyrgyzstan are bound in many ways. As many as 500,000 Kyrgyz citizens work in Russia, and Russian news media is widely watched in Kyrgyzstan.

There are, of course, silver linings to Kyrgyzstan’s accession. Kyrgyz citizens working in other EEU countries will not need to register with the police for stays of less than 90 nights. Currently, a Kyrgyz citizen staying longer than five nights is compelled to register.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 207, published on Nov. 5 2014)

Uzbekistan progresses on child labour

NOV. 1 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – An official at the United Nations’ labour watchdog, ILO, said tentative progress had been made by Uzbekistan in eradicating child labour from the cotton harvest. AFP, a French news agency, quoted ILO official Harri Taliga as saying that he had seen some improvements during the recent harvest.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 207, published on Nov. 5 2014)

Armenian airline cancels flights

OCT. 30 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Air Armenia, the only Armenian-owned passenger airline, suspended all passenger flights until at least Dec. 20 because of financial problems.

Privately owned, Air Armenia has been flying to Russia and a handful of other destinations for a year. It was set up as a freight airline in 2003 but branched into passenger flights after the collapse of Armavia in 2013.

Air Armenia’s financial problems highlight just how difficult the business environment in Armenia is currently.

Armenia has been hard hit by the financial problems facing Russia, its main ally and sponsor. Remittances from workers in Russia have dried up as has financial support and investment. Economic growth rates have been slashed, currency warnings have been put out and inflation is creeping up. These are difficult times for Armenian businesses, more so in the aviation sector.

It looks increasingly likely that Armenians will now be without a national airline.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 207, published on Nov. 5 2014)

Kazakhstan’s national grid plans IPO

NOV. 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakhstan’s national grid company, KEGOC, will sell 10% of its shares on the local stock market this year for an estimated $72m. KEGOC will become the second company after oil pipeline monopoly KazTransOil to launch a so-called People’s IPO, a high-profile part-privatisation of some state companies.