OCT. 24 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan announced plans to open an embassy in Baku, underlining its determination to increase cooperation with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is an attractive ally for Kyrgyzstan as it is growing rich from energy exports and has invested in Kyrgyzstan’s economy. Kyrgyzstan needs to increase energy imports.
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(News report from Issue No. 206, published on Oct. 29 2014)
OCT. 20 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan’s main opposition parties, Respublika and Ata Zhurt, will join forces to form a coalition ahead of parliamentary elections in 2015, media reported. If it holds together, the Respublika- Ata Zhurt coalition could be powerful as it would bridge the country’s north-south divide.
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(News report from Issue No. 205, published on Oct. 22 2014)
OCT. 17 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan and its Canadian mining partners once again clashed over ownership of the Kumtor gold mine in the mountains on the east of the country.
Kumtor is the main economic engine of Kyrgyzstan, generating around 10% of its GDP. The problem is Kyrgyzstan wants to own more of the mine which is mainly owned by Totonto-listed Centerra Gold.
Now, Kyrgyzstan president Almazbek Atambayev has threatened to force Centerra Gold to delist from the Toronto stock exchange after a court in Canada suspended its shares.
Kyrgyzstan owns a third of the company but Stans Energy, a Canadian company, has taken out a court injunction preventing Kyrgyzstan from trading its stake. Stans Energy says it is looking for payment from the Kyrgyz government after losing its licence to develop the Kutessay II rare earth mine.
The row between Kyrgyzstan and its foreign investors has been rumbling along for years. It shows no sign of slowing.
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(News report from Issue No. 205, published on Oct. 22 2014)
OCT. 15 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted to pass a law that bans so-called gay propaganda, seemingly playing to Russia which has passed a similar law already and against the United States which called the new legislation an attack on democracy. Kyrgyzstan is increasingly leaning towards Russia in world affairs.
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(News report from Issue No. 205, published on Oct. 22 2014)
OCT 21 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan plans to increase the size of its walnut forests to meet rising demand for the nut from consumers in Iran, China, Turkey and south-east Asia, media reported. Kyrgyzstan has very few exports and a boost in walnut sales would give the economy a lift.
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(News report from Issue No. 205, published on Oct. 22 2014)
OCT. 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan’s prosecutor-general asked Britain’s visiting minister of state for civil justice Edward Faulks to extradite the son of former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, media reported. Mr Bakiyev was overthrown in a coup in 2010. Since then, both he and his son, Maxim, have been found guilty of various economic crimes.
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(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)
OCT. 13 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The United States criticised moves by Kyrgyzstan to make so-called “gay propaganda” illegal as being harmful to democracy. The laws are similar to those introduced by Russia. The US embassy put out a rare harshly worded statement which said: “Sweeping limits on civil society harm democracy.”
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(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)
OCT. 14 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – As part of Kyrgyzstan’s move towards membership of the Russia-led Customs Union, it has started preparing to export processed meat to Russia, media reported.
This is, potentially, significant as it shows just how the Customs Union, which turns into the Eurasian Economic Union, can help the poorer parts of the former Soviet Union.
It also shows how Russia is looking to its neighbours and allies for economic support to help it cope with the sanctions that the West has thrown over it.
Armenian cheese producers, for example, have said that they could export more cheese to Russia to make up for the shortfall of from France and other parts of the European Union.
Now the Kyrgyz news website 24.kg has quoted the agriculture minister as saying that he had spoken to his Russian counterpart and asked for guidance on bringing the meat processing industry in Kyrgyzstan up to standard for imports to Russia.
“Until now, the export of this product is prohibited. We asked about test batches in order for our businesses to start to explore the markets of Russia in anticipation of entering the Customs Union,” he said.
“The Minister gave a positive response and concluded a verbal agreement.”
Kyrgyzstan intends to join the Eurasian Economic Union, which also includes Belarus and Kazakhstan, next year. Armenia has also agreed to join the bloc.
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(News report from Issue No. 204, published on Oct. 15 2014)
OCT. 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan’s parliament passed a raft of economic reforms that paved the way for its accession into the Russia-led Customs Union. Kyrgyzstan wants to join the Customs Union by the end of this year. The Customs Union will morph into the Eurasian Economic Union at the start of 2015.
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(News report from Issue No. 203, published on Oct. 8 2014)
BISHKEK/Kyrgyzstan, OCT. 8 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan’s new president is on a mission to transform his war-torn country with a shredded economy into a regional force. If he is successful, Central Asia may find in its southern neighbour a strong trading partner and occasional rival rather than the Taliban-tainted bogeyman regional governments have traditionally portrayed it as.
Central Asia’s security-first approach to Afghanistan is understandable. Both Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have had to deal with Islamic extremists linked to the Taliban and other Afghan militants. Neutral Turkmenistan is also taking a newly assertive stance towards events in Afghanistan. Turkmen forces were reported as entering Afghan territory to beat back Taliban that had settled on the two countries’ border (Sept 17).
But Central Asia’s economic ties to Afghanistan are expanding. The long-stalled Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Tajikistan rail link, which will eventually connect the country to China, looks increasingly likely to happen, while Turkmen gas may one day transit Afghanistan on its way to China.
Mr Ghani is keen to see Afghanistan as a player. His stated ambition to turn the country into an exporter of electricity may make Kabul a rival to both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The revival of Afghan agriculture may put pressure on scarce regional energy resources.
It is perhaps noteworthy that upon receiving notes of congratulations from all five Central Asian presidents following his inauguration, Mr Ghani’s warmest words were for Kazakhstan and Nursultan Nazarbayev (Sept.29). “Kazakhstan is an important friend and positive example,” he told Kazakh foreign minister Erlan Idrissov at his inauguration.
If Mr Ghani can take Afghanistan on a similar journey, then the country will be ready to both compete and cooperate with Central Asia.
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(News report from Issue No. 203, published on Oct. 8 2014)