Tag Archives: Coronavirus

Azerbaijani authorities warn of coronavirus second wave

JUNE 21 (The Bulletin) — The authorities in Azerbaijan said that they may be dealing with a second wave of coronavirus infections after a spike forced the reintroduction of lockdown restrictions for two weeks. People have been told to stay at home, once again, and only leave after receiving permission from the authorities via SMS. Azerbaijan has recorded 14,305 coronavirus cases and 174 deaths.

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— This story was first published in issue 451 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, published on June 23 2020

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2020

Turkmenistan denies US accusations of coronavirus cover-up

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JUNE 23 (The Bulletin) — Officials in Turkmenistan poured scorn on a statement by the US embassy in Ashgabat that questioned whether the country really had been able to remain free of the coronavirus. The Turkmen government has insisted that it is one of the only countries in the world not to have the coronavirus but US diplomats have said that they have received reports of people suffering from symptoms consistent with Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

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— This story was first published in issue 451 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, published on June 23 2020

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2020

Kazakhstan’s Halyk Bank to debate dividend payout

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JUNE 23 (The Bulletin) — Shareholders of Halyk Bank, the largest bank in Kazakhstan, will vote on July 23 on whether to pay out the second of two planned dividend payments in 2020 because of the impact of the coronavirus on business. In May, Halyk Bank, which is majority-owned by Dinara Nazarbayeva and her husband Timur Kulibayev, voted to scrap its dividend. Ms Nazabayeva is the daughter of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev.

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— This story was first published in issue 451 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, published on June 23 2020

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2020

Uzbek police reimpose coronavirus lockdown in parts of Tashkent

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JUNE 22 (The Bulletin) — Police in Tashkent erected roadblocks around a suburbs where spikes in people infected with the coronavirus have been recorded. The authorities have lifted coronavirus lockdown restrictions but have also said that 71 neighbourhoods of Tashkent are considered to be so-called ‘Red Zones’. Uzbekistan has recorded 6,901 coronavirus cases and 19 deaths.

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— This story was first published in issue 451 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, published on June 23 2020

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2020

Tourism dries up in Azerbaijan

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JUNE 22 (The Bulletin) — Data from Azerbaijan’s statistics agency showed the impact of the coronavirus lockdown on the tourist industry. It said that in the first five months of the year, the number of tourists in Azerbaijan halved to 563,000. Most of Azerbaijan’s tourists arrive from Russia, Georgia and Turkey but a growing market is tourists from the Middle East. Tourist numbers are proportionally likely to fall further through the year.

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— This story was first published in issue 451 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, published on June 23 2020

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2020

Turkish Airlines to restart flying to the region

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JUNE 22 (The Bulletin) — Turkish Airlines, a vital service into both Central Asia and the South Caucasus, said that it was going to restart most of its routes from July 1. Like the rest of the aviation sector Turkish Airlines had stopped its routes when the coronavirus was spreading across the globe and governments were imposing lockdowns.

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— This story was first published in issue 451 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, published on June 23 2020

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2020

Turkmenistan opens border with Iran

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JUNE 20 (The Bulletin) — Turkmen officials allowed 30 trucks stuck in Iran for 2-1/2 months after the country was closed as part of Turkmenistan’s push to incubate itself against the spread of the coronavirus to cross the border. According to media reports, Iranian officials are still waiting to process 740 more trucks that have been stuck at the border since April 1.

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— This story was first published in issue 451 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, published on June 23 2020

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2020

Nazarbayec tests positive for the coronavirus

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JUNE 20 (The Bulletin) — Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan’s 79-year-old former president, tested positive for the coronavirus but officials said he was asymptomatic. The Kazakh authorities have announced weekend lockdowns in major cities to try to suppress a rise in infections since lockdown measures were relaxed.

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— This story was first published in issue 451 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, published on June 23 2020

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2020

Azerbaijan cuts interest rates

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JUNE 19 (The Bulletin) — Azerbaijan’s Central Bank cut its core interest rate to 7% from 7.25% because of a drop in inflationary pressure. Like the rest of the region, Azerbaijan’s economy is expected to contract this year because of the impact of a lockdown designed to suppress the spread of the coronavirus.

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— This story was first published in issue 451 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, published on June 23 2020

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2020

ADB cuts growth rates for the South Caucasus

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JUNE 18 (The Bulletin) — The Asian Development Bank (ABD) joined other international finances institutions in cutting its expected growth rates for the economies of the South Caucasus because of the impact of lockdowns imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus. It said that Georgia’s economy would now contract by 4.9%, Armenia’s would shrink by 3.5% and Azerbaijan’s by 0.1%.

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— This story was first published in issue 451 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, published on June 23 2020