MAY 1 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – For the first time in 2011 annualised inflation in Armenia dropped below 10% and may reflect a slowdown in price rises across the region. Armenia’s annualised inflation in April was 8.6% down from 11.5% in March, its national statistics office said. Some analysts had warned that rising inflation could stir instability.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 38, published on May 2 2011)
APRIL 26 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – China secured more control over energy supplies from Central Asia when it agreed to lend Turkmenistan $4b to develop the South Yolotan gas field. South Yolotan is one of the largest gas fields in the world. Most of its gas is expected to be pumped to China.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 38, published on May 2 2011)
APRIL 25 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – In contrast to the cool reception he received when he visited the European Union in Brussels in January, China laid on smiles and a guard of honour for Uzbek President Islam Karimov’s state visit on April 19/20.
Mr Karimov was in Beijing to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao and to sign deals worth billions of dollars including an agreement to double the amount of gas Uzbekistan sells to China. The Uzbek state news website uza.uz said the deals were worth $5b and that Chinese banks had also agreed to lend $1.5b to 4 Uzbek banks for joint-ventures.
The numbers underscore just how much power and impact China can buy in Central Asia. Mr Hu hosted a similar visit to Beijing by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in February.
Over the last few years China has steadily bought up assets across the region, subverting the influence of both Russia and the West.
For the Central Asia states, China allure is not just its wealth, its proximity and its hunger for oil and gas. For now, at least, China is also less troublesome to deal with.
Former colonial power Russia has quarrelled with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan over the price of gas and the West has previously condemned human rights abuses, such as the shooting in 2005 of around 500 people at a protest in eastern Uzbekistan. China, instead, talks of jointly defeating terrorism, is welcoming and lays on the charm.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 37, published on April 25 2011)
APRIL 18 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Perhaps Kazakhstan’s most important company, state oil and gas monopoly Kazmunaigas said net profits doubled in 2010 to about $2.7b, Reuters reported. Kazmunaigas did not give a reason for the profit rise.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 36, published on April 18 2011)
APRIL 12 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakhstan’s government named President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s son-in-law Timur Kulibayev as head of the country’s $80b sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna. Mr Kulibayev had previously been deputy head. The move secures Mr Nazarbayev’s hold over the most important elements of the economy.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 36, published on April 18 2011)
APRIL 15 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will give Tajikistan $45m to spend on social projects. The ADB said Tajikistan is the poorest CIS state and that without help vital social services would fail. In January the ADB gave Tajikistan $145m for a new road.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 36, published on April 18 2011)
APRIL 11 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan aims to join a customs union with Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus on Jan. 1 2012, Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted Kyrgyz PM, Almazbek Atambayev as saying. The Kremlin has forged closer relations with the Kyrgyzstan since a revolution last April. Moving into the customs union will pull Kyrgyzstan towards Russia’s influence.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 35, published on April 11 2011)
APRIL 4 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – RAKIA, the investment unit of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, has sold the majority of its stake in the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti, media quoted Georgian officials as saying. The officials said APM Terminals, a unit of Danish company Moller-Maersk Group, now owned 80% of the port which is an important transport hub.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 35, published on April 11 2011)
APRIL 11 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakh PM Karim Massimov moved the head of the state’s investment fund Samruk-Kazyna, Kairat Kelimbetov to be minister for economic development. President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s son-in-law, Timur Kulibayev is currently deputy head of the Samruk-Kazyna, which controls vast swathes of the country’s economy. He could be promoted.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 35, published on April 11 2011)
MARCH 31 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan’s President Roza Otunbayeva sacked the Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General Kubatbek Baibolov over links to a corruption scandal centred on the privatisation of mobile operator MegaCom. Mr Baibolov denies the allegations. The next day a row in parliament over the scandal between two deputies triggered a brief fight.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 34, published on April 4 2011)