NOV. 9 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – In a show of support for Georgia, Ukraine said it will fine anybody driving a car with a South Ossetian or Abkhazian number plate, media reported. Ukraine is locked in a war with Russia for control of the eastern part of its country. It counts Georgia as a strong ally. S.Ossetia and Abkhazia are Russia- backed Georgian rebel states.
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(News report from Issue No. 256, published on Nov. 13 2015)
NOV. 8 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan’s President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has signed a decree paving the way for Turkmen electricity supplies to Afghanistan until 2027, a move seemingly designed to increase stability in its southern neighbour as well as lock in a long-term client.
The Turkmen government announced the agreement through one of its official websites turkmenistan.ru.
It said that the contract now being finalised between Turkmenenenergo and their Afghan counterparts would run from Jan. 1 2018 until Dec. 31 2027.
It’s important because it highlights both Turkmenistan’s ability to negotiate long-term power deals for its neighbours and also its determination to help Afghanistan stabilise.
Turkmenistan needs a stable Afghanistan for two main reasons. It wants the Afghan government to be strong enough to be able to control a resurgent Taliban and it also needs Afghanistan to be a stable transit partner for the proposed TAPI pipeline running from its gas fields to consumers in India.
TAPI is vital for Turkmenistan. It needs to diversify its client base for gas as it is over-reliant on China.
Turkmenistan has been investing heavily in its power generating infrastructure. It sees the sector as another way of projecting itself on the international stage.
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(News report from Issue No. 256, published on Nov. 13 2015)
NOV. 11 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Russia will install an air defence missile system in Armenia, RIA- Novosti news agency reported quoting a statement from the Kremlin, a rival, perhaps, to the US missile system in Eastern Europe. By stationing missiles in Armenia, Russia is pulling it tighter into its field of influence.
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(News report from Issue No. 256, published on Nov. 13 2015)
NOV. 12 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Tajik president Emomali Rakhmon travelled to Islamabad for a two-day visit that will culminate with talks with Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif on plans to create a regional power market.
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan hope to supply Pakistan and Afghanistan with power generated by their hydropower stations in a project dubbed CASA- 1000. The project is viewed as vital for increasing trade and diplomatic links between the neighbours.
And CASA-1000 already appears to be having a positive impact on relations between Tajikistan and its neighbours. This trip to Pakistan, will be Mr Rakhmon’s sixth.
An official at the Tajik embassy in Islamabad also said that wider trade relations would be discussed.
“During the Tajik president’s visit, they will discuss energy import, transit trade and linking the region through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which will bring prosperity in the entire area,” the unnamed official told the Express Tribune newspaper.
Electricity is one of Tajikistan’s and Kyrgyzstan’s main exports. Pakistan and Afghanistan are deficient in electricity.
Tajikistan and Pakistan don’t share a land border. A sliver of Afghanistan separates the countries.
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(News report from Issue No. 256, published on Nov. 13 2015)
NOV. 11 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – On a visit to Tbilisi, Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign policy chief, praised Georgia’s contribution to EU-led military peace operations in Africa but also warned the country that it shouldn’t take media freedom for granted.
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(News report from Issue No. 256, published on Nov. 13 2015)
NOV. 4 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – South Korea wants to boost further its investments in Uzbekistan, local media reported quoting government officials. South Korea and Uzbekistan have developed close relations over the past few years. There are thousands of ethnic Koreans living in Uzbekistan.
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(News report from Issue No. 255, published on Nov. 6 2015)
NOV. 4 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – The Almaty-based Eurasian Development Bank is close to agreeing a deal to lend the Armenian government $300m to help it through the economic malaise enveloping the Central Asia and South Caucasus region.
If it is agreed, the first $100m is due at the end of this year with the outstanding $200m handed over by the end of 2017.
Like other countries in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, Armenia has been trying to deal with the fallout of the drop in oil prices and a recession in Russia which have combined to tip the entire region into an economic depression.
“Current macroeconomic actions have been agreed with the Armenian government,” Dmitry Pankin, the EDB CEO, told the Armenpress news agency.
“The project has been approved by the expert council and is now being considered by the Eurasian Stabilisation and Development Fund. After the official decision, the final conditions will be agreed upon.”
The Eurasian Development Bank is an overtly political organisation. It’s membership mirrors the membership of the Kremlin-led Eurasian Economic Union — Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia — with the addition of Tajikistan.
It was set up before the Eurasian Economic Union to give the trade bloc extra weight.
It also acts as a kind of sweetener. Armenia is reliant on Russia for economic and political support. It joined the Eurasian Economic Union at the start of this year under duress from Russia but can now access cheap loans to keep its economy running.
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(News report from Issue No. 255, published on Nov. 6 2015)
OCT. 31 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – A newspaper in Australia reported that the government was in talks with the Kyrgyz authorities to resettle refugees and asylum seekers in Kyrgyzstan. Under a hardline policy, Australia refuses entry to all migrants and refugees. Neither the Australian nor the Kyrgyz government have commented.
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(News report from Issue No. 255, published on Nov. 6 2015)
OCT. 31 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan and Indonesia established a 30-day visa free regime which they said would promote tourism between the two countries. The visa-free regime with Indonesia contrasts with Azerbaijan’s constraints on European travellers. Over the past few years, Azerbaijan has increased restrictions on European travel.
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(News report from Issue No. 255, published on Nov. 6 2015)
NOV. 5 2015 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia’s trade with Russia, its most important partner, has fallen sharply this year compared to the same period in 2014, official data showed. Exports to Russia were down 28% to $158.5m and imports were down over 10% to $712.7m between Jan-Sept. A recession in Russia has hit Central Asia and South Caucasus.
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(News report from Issue No. 255, published on Nov. 6 2015)