MAY 6 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Once again underlining Turkmenistan’s growing prominence in the international energy scene, China invited Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on a state visit to Beijing between May 11 and 14. Turkmenistan has turned itself into a major supplier of gas to China.
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(News report from Issue No. 183, published on May 7 2014)
MAY 6 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon hosted talks with his Turkmen counterpart President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov for the first time in four years. Various deals and documents were signed by both sides, including the start of work on a new gas pipeline.
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(News report from Issue No. 183, published on May 7 2014)
MAY 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Annualised inflation in Georgia in April was 3.4%, media quoted the Georgian statistics agency Geostat as saying. The main driver of inflation was food prices which measured nearly 8%. Prices in Georgia have increased since October last year, a relief for policy makers after years of deflation.
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(News report from Issue No. 183, published on May 7 2014)
MAY 5 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kenes Rakishev, one of the best connected men in Kazakhstan, bought a minority stake in retailer Magnum Cash & Carry. Magnum has seven shops in Almaty and two in Astana. Reports did not say how much Mr Rakishev paid for his stake nor who he bought the stake from.
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(News report from Issue No. 183, published on May 7 2014)
ARSLANBOB/Kyrgyzstan, MAY 7 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — In rural Kyrgyzstan, walnuts are important. Ilhon sighed as he leaned in and explained the significance of the walnut to the local economy of this small village in the Jalalabad region, south Kyrgyzstan.Surrounding the village is a 60,000 hectare walnut forest, providing a crop of about 1,000 tonnes each year.
In a country as poor as Kyrgyzstan, walnut crops can make up around a third of the average annual salary. The walnut season also provides a trickle-down effect on employment.
As well as the farmers, who lease the state-owned land to collect the walnut, other people are employed to shell walnuts and drivers to transport it to local markets. Most of the walnuts are then sent to Turkey, Iran and Iraq.
Still, it is just seasonal labour and when the season finishes its time to find fresh work.
Just like most of Kyrgyzstan, Ilhon and his brother look to Russia for help.
They head north to find casual labour, sending home most of what they earn. It’s tough and the pay isn’t great, but at least is does pay.
“Life is more difficult in winter,” Ilhon said of the drop in employment once the walnut season ends. “There is very little work around Arslanbob. Many of the men here go to Russia.”
There is another problem for Ilhon and others living and working in the walnut forests of south Kyrgyzstan. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the forests have been increasingly poorly managed. These forests are the largest walnut forests in the world but they are also under threat.”
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(News report from Issue No. 183, published on May 7 2014)
MAY 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kazakhstan has offered India’s state-owned energy company ONGC Videsh a stake in the Abai oil field in the Caspian Sea, media reported. Almost exactly a year ago, Kazakhstan blocked a deal by India to buy a stake in the giant Kashagan oil field. India has been looking to Kazakhstan to boost its oil reserves.
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(News report from Issue No. 183, published on May 7 2014)
MAY 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — In Yemen media reported that government soldiers had killed 13 members of an al-Qaeda militant group, including their Uzbek leader. This is significant for Uzbekistan which has been battling militant Islamists for years. There have been a number of credible reports of Uzbeks fighting in Yemen and Afghanistan..
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(News report from Issue No. 183, published on May 7 2014)
MAY 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Industrial output in Armenia fell by 2.8% in the first three months of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013, media reported quoting the National Statistics Service.
The statistics agency did not specify why industrial output had fallen.
Economist have warned that Armenia faces a difficult year. At the end of 2013 an IMF mission to Armenia said the economy faced major challenges.
“These include responding to the slowdown of growth in 2013, low private and foreign direct investment in recent years, and relatively high poverty and unemployment,” it said in a report.
This year Armenia has moved increasingly to position itself within Russia’s orbit. It has done this for two main reasons. Both strategically and economically it needs Russia’s support.
Armenia’s relative economic weakness is pushing it faster towards Russia.
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(News report from Issue No. 183, published on May 7 2014)
MAY 1 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Baku will host a Formula One race next year, AP quoted a spokeswoman at the Azerbaijani ministry of sport as saying. Speculation has built this year that Azerbaijan would host a leg of one of the most-watched and glamorous global sporting events.
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(News report from Issue No. 183, published on May 7 2014)
MAY 5 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has told Iranian businessmen that they should increase investments in neighbouring Armenia, media reported, underlining strengthening relations between the two countries. Mr Hassan made the comments during a meeting with Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian who was visiting Tehran.
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(News report from Issue No. 183, published on May 7 2014)