AUG. 19 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — The authorities in Kyrgyzstan uncovered an illegal pipeline pumping vodka into the country from neighbouring Kazakhstan, media reported. The discovery of the pipeline under the river Chu, which separates the two countries, highlights Central Asia’s entrenched smuggling networks and thirst for hard alcohol.
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(News report from Issue No. 148, published on Aug. 19 2013)
AUG. 15 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Highlighting its energy wealth, Turkmenistan unveiled plans to build a $2b port on its Caspian Sea coast. Turkmen leader Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched the project. Turkish construction company Gap Insaat will build the port.
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(News report from Issue No. 148, published on Aug. 19 2013)
AUG. 12 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Rompetrol, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s state-owned Kazmunaigas, will open 22 new petrol stations in Georgia by the end of 2014, media reported. This shows that Kazmunaigas is continuing to use Rompetrol to expand overseas and also that it believes that demand for petrol in Georgia is growing. Rompetrol already operates 70 petrol stations in Georgia.
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(News report from Issue No. 148, published on Aug. 19 2013)
AUG. 5 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan is on the verge of signing a deal to send 200,000 tonnes of cotton annually to Bangladesh, media reported. Bangladesh already imports cotton from Uzbekistan for its garment-making industry but this deal should smooth the process. Human rights groups accuse Uzbekistan of using child labour to pick cotton.
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(News report from Issue No. 147, published on Aug. 12 2013)
AUG. 8 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Russia’s VimpelCom booked an 88% increase in profits from its Uzbek subsidiary for the year to the end-July because of the closure of its rival, the MTS-owned Uzdunrobita, media reported. VimpelCom has increased subscribers in Uzbekistan by 45% to 10m since Uzdunrobita closed a year ago for tax infringements.
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(News report from Issue No. 147, published on Aug. 12 2013)
AUG. 7 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — BP stemmed an output drop at Azerbaijan’s Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) oil fields. In the first three months of 2013, ACG’s output was 662,000 barrels per day (bpd), rising to an average of 672,000bpd for the first half of the year, Reuters reported. ACG accounts for most of Azerbaijan’s oil production and is vital to its economy.
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(News report from Issue No. 147, published on Aug. 12 2013)
JULY 30 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijani state energy company SOCAR (20% stake), BP (20%) and Total (10%) joined the consortium developing the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) that will pump gas from the Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea to Italy, TAP said. The other members of the consortium are Statoil (20%), Fluxys (16%), E.ON (9%) and Axpo (5%).
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(News report from Issue No. 146, published on Aug. 5 2013)
JULY 29 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Russia’s state gas company Gazprom completed its purchase of Kyrgyzgas, Kyrgyzstan’s gas distributor, for $1. Reuters quoted an anonymous source as saying that Gazprom will invest $600m updating Kyrgyzstan’s dilapidated gas infrastructure network. The deal also increases the Kremlin’s control over Kyrgyzstan.
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(News report from Issue No. 146, published on Aug. 5 2013)
AUG. 2 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Romserv, part of the Rompetrol group, has won a $1b contract to modernise the refinery at Pavlodar in northern Kazakhstan, media reported. Kazakh state energy company Kazmunaigas bought a 75% stake in Rompetrol from Romania in 2007. The Pavlodar refinery was built in 1978 and is one of three in Kazakshtan.
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(News report from Issue No. 146, published on Aug. 5 2013)
JULY 24 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenia and Georgia separately concluded trade talks with the EU that will free up markets. The talks will lead to the expansion of a so-called Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) and will allow Armenian and Georgian goods easier access to the EU. EU companies will also have easier access to Armenia and Georgia.
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(News report from Issue No. 145, published on July 29 2013)