SEPT. 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – An appeal court in Tajikistan upheld the decision of Tajikistan’s High Court to invalidate a takeover by Ukrainian billionaire Dmitro Firtash in 2002 of Tajik fertiliser maker TajikAzot. Analysts have said that the authorities in Tajikistan have used the problems in the country as a cover for a corporate raid.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 199, published on Sept. 10 2014)
AUG. 28 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – In two separate demonstrations, hundreds of protesters in Kyrgyzstan blocked roads to try and stop production at an iron ore mine and an oil refinery, media reported. In both cases, the protesters claimed the sites were damaging the environment, a well-used tactic by protesters wanting to stop industrial production.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – China has started work on building a new cement factory in Kyrgyzstan, underlining its commitment to Central Asia. The cement factory will be the biggest in Kyrgyzstan and will cost $70m. China has assumed an increasingly tight grip on Central Asia’s economies.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 28 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Reports from the regions said that queues up to a kilometre-long have been forming outside petrol stations as motorist try to re-fuel their cars.
In the northern city of Uralsk only four of 11 petrol stations were serving motorists without vouchers.
A combination of low refining capacity while upgrades are made; the devaluation of the tenge currency, which has made imports more expensive; restrictions on the quantity of imports have reduced petrol supplies.
Officials have said that they are working to bring the situation under control but frustrations threaten to bubble over.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazrbayev relies, to some degree, on the people becoming increasingly rich and comfortable for his popularity. If this starts to reduce, or become visibly impaired, his popularity may drop.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
Petrol shortages have worsened in Kazakhstan over the past few months.
SEPT 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan is one of China’s most important energy suppliers, the deputy director of PetroChina, Lu Gongxun, said in an interview.
His comments, while not breaking news, underline the importance and high regard that China places on its new partner. Turkmenistan has become vital for the Chinese economy, sending around 50 billion cubic metres (cbm) of natural gas to China each year.
And it’s going to become even more important. By 2021, Turkmenistan will be pumping 65bcm of gas to China each year, eclipsed only by Russia.
“Turkmenistan’s rich gas resources facilitate the implementation of China’s goal of diversifying energy imports. The natural gas imports from the Central Asia play an indispensable role in ensuring the state energy security of China,” he Lu said according to press reports.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
SEPT. 1 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Tajikistan is on the brink of a Russian-fuelled petrol crisis according to independent news outlet Avesta.tj.
Unnamed sources told Avesta.tj that a collective of 25 Tajik fuel importers had written to President Emomali Rakhmon to tell him that he needed to buy extra fuel supplies to avoid potentially destructive price hikes. The problem, they said, was export restrictions at the Russian refineries where Tajikistan gets its fuel.
The letter said that supplies of A-92 petrol, imported from Russia, and other types of fuel, may be exhausted by mid-September unless he intervenes to ensure previous levels of supply. Apparently the letter attributes the restrictions to parallel shortages in energy rich Russia. Kyrgyzstan is also hurting. Petrol prices in Tajikistan’s northern neighbour have risen by 13.8% in some parts of the country over an eight month period.
Officially, according to the head of the Kyrgyz Oil Traders association, the reason for the restrictions is that multiple refineries in Russia are undergoing repairs simultaneously.
Unofficially, it’s more likely that sanctions imposed on Russia for its actions in Ukraine are biting.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 28 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Petrol stations across Uzbekistan are closing because of a lack of fuel supplies, media reported. Media has been reporting for some time that fuel supplies in Uzbekistan have been low. The government has also said that it is no longer able to subsidise petrol causing prices to rise, especially around Tashkent.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 26 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan has signed another major gas supply deal, underlining its growing status as a regional energy super-power. A Turkish-Japanese consortium will build a $1.7b gas plant in Turkmenistan that will process natural gas into high quality fuel for export. Most of Turkmenistan’s natural gas it pumped to China.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 197, published on Aug. 27 2014)
AUG. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Perhaps trying to woo Kyrgyzstan into the embrace of the Customs Union, Russia agreed to lift restrictions on the import of Kyrgyz agriculture products, media reported. The restrictions were imposed over food safety fears. Kyrgyzstan has applied to join the Russia-led Customs Union later this year.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 197, published on Aug. 27 2014)
AUG. 18 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Iran has said that it will stop importing gas from Turkmenistan, media reported. Most of Turkmenistan’s gas flows to China and Iran was not a major client but, even so, the Iranian decision to stop imports will irk. With its economy improving, Iran has said that it plans to ramp up its own gas production.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 196, published on Aug. 20 2014)