FEB. 16 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – The Asian Development Bank (ABD) and the Uzbek government inaugurated construction of a solar power research institute in Tashkent. The ADB plans to develop solar power across the region and wants the International Solar Energy Institute to become a global centre of excellence.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 78, published on Feb. 23 2012)
FEB. 16 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – A court in Britain sentenced Mukhtar Ablyazov, the former CEO of BTA Bank, to 22 months in jail for contempt of court. Ablyazov is accused of embezzling $5b. He fled to London in 2009, claiming political asylum, and has since used it as a base to finance Kazakh opposition groups.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 78, published on Feb. 23 2012)
FEB. 8 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – On a trip to Germany, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed around 50 deals worth €3b with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. One of the biggest deals was for German engineering company Siemens to upgrade Kazakhstan’s railways. Germany will also have access to rare metals in Kazakhstan.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 77, published on Feb. 16 2012)
FEB. 12 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR said it wanted European partners for its planned Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) across Turkey. TANAP is considered by some as a rival to the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline proposal. SOCAR will offer part of its 80% stake in TANAP to Western energy companies.
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(News report from Issue No. 77, published on Feb. 16 2012)
FEB. 14 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Tengizchevroil, the Chevron-lead Kazakhstan oil producer, plans to invest $5b to $6b over the next five years to maintain production levels, Bloomberg quoted general-director Tim Miller as saying. Tengiz, near Atyrau on the Caspian Sea coast, is Kazakhstan largest oil producing field.
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(News report from Issue No. 77, published on Feb. 16 2012)
FEB. 16 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Attacks against Israeli targets in Georgia, India and Thailand and an acrimonious row between Baku and Tehran have thrown a spotlight over the relationship between the South Caucasus and Iran.
The same day that Georgian security forces disarmed a car bomb in Tbilisi another exploded in Delhi, injuring an Israeli woman (Feb. 13). Israel has blamed Iran for both attacks and another in Bangkok the following day.
Three weeks earlier the authorities in Baku arrested two Iranians for conspiring to assassinate Israeli diplomats, although Iran denied the charges.
The South Caucasus has a complex, fluid relationship with Iran.
Over the past year, much to the irritation of the US, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia have strengthened ties with Iran. Gas deals have been made, railway and air links solidified, visa regulations waived and military delegations hosted. Private business and trade links have also surged.
But behind these strengthening connections relations often remain strained.
Azerbaijan has built up good links with Israel and Georgia’s main backer is the US. Both are Iran’s sworn enemy. Armenia has more cordial ties with Iran but it also needs to be flexible.
The South Caucasus countries have to deal with their powerful neighbour but they are also wary.
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(News report from Issue No. 77, published on Feb. 16 2012)
FEB. 6 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Around 1,400 workers at the Kumtor gold mine, which makes up around 12% of Kyrgyzstan’s national income, started a strike over new tax payments which they say their employer should pay on their behalf. Centerra Gold, the Canadian company which owns and operates the mine, said the strike was illegal.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 76, published on Feb. 9 2012)
FEB. 3 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Underlining its position as the world’s biggest uranium producer, Kazakhstan’s atomic agency Kazatomprom announced it increased uranium output by 9% in 2011. The 20,000 tonnes Kazatomprom mined in 2011 was the equivalent of about a third of the world’s total uranium production.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 76, published on Feb. 9 2012)
FEB. 6 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – A fire broke out at one of Kazakhstan’s three oil refineries. Nobody was hurt in the fire at the refinery in Shymkent, near the Uzbek border, and an official said production was not affected. A broken oil pipe, fractured by the cold weather, was blamed for the fire.
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(News report from Issue No. 76, published on Feb. 9 2012)
FEB. 1 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Increasingly severe power cuts are hitting cities in Uzbekistan, including Tashkent, local media and eyewitnesses have reported. The authorities have blamed consumers and imposed rationing. Many residents, however, believe the government is diverting gas from domestic use to fulfil lucrative export contracts.
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(News report from Issue No. 75, published on Feb. 2 2012)