APRIL 5 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Negotiators converged on Almaty for a second round of talks aimed at unlocking the issue of Iran’s nuclear programme. These two-day talks are a follow up to negotiations in February. Iran has said that it is developing nuclear capability for civilian purposes but the US suspects that it wants to build a bomb.
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(News report from Issue No. 130, published on April 5 2013)
Nov. 9 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Local media quoted sources in the Uzbek government as saying that the Saudi Arabia-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) will finance part of a $168m scheme to modernise two hydropower plants near Tashkent. The IDB has not confirmed the finance deal which some media said would total $100m.
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(News report from Issue No. 113, published on Nov. 16 2012)
OCT. 31 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Underlying a blossoming partnership, media reported that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had discussed in a telephone conversation the progress of a series of joint projects, including the delayed construction of a $330m hydropower station on the border.
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(News report from Issue No. 111, published on Nov. 2 2012)
APRIL 23 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan, now a temporary member of the UN Security Council, asked the UN to close the nuclear power station in Armenia because it was unsafe, media quoted Agshin Mekhdiyev, Azerbaijan’s UN envoy, as saying. Armenia dismissed the demand as propaganda.
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(News report from Issue No. 085, published on April 27 2012)
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.
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(News report from Issue No. 78, published on Feb. 23 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)
OCT. 24 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Around a third of the 450 workers at Armenia’s nuclear power station stopped work for three days over a pay dispute, triggering safety concerns at the plant. They returned to work after the government agreed a 10% pay rise. The Soviet-era Metsamor nuclear plant produces around 40% of Armenia’s power.
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(News report from Issue No. 62, published on Oct. 25 2011)
SEPT. 5 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon officially unveiled the new Sangtuda-2 hydropower station near Dushanbe, underlining the close ties between the countries. Tajikistan views new dams as vital for power but they have created tension with Uzbekistan, which is worried about water supply.
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(News report from Issue No. 55, published on Sept. 6 2011)
APRIL 7 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Following warnings of low water levels, Tajikistan has now extended its seasonal electricity restrictions, AP reported. Water running off the Pamir Mountains is vital for both Tajikistan’s hydroelectric dams and the cotton fields of downstream Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
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(News report from Issue No. 35, published on April 11 2011)
MARCH 24 2011 (The Conway Bulletin) – Russia said it would scrap tax on fuel exports to Kyrgyzstan and agreed to invest $750m in Kyrgyz hydroelectric projects, local media reported. Russia and the US are vying for influence in Kyrgyzstan where they both control an airbase.
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(News report from Issue No. 33, published on March 28 2011)