JUNE 12 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The US-based lobby group Freedom House rated Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as having the worst democratic framework in its ranking of 29 countries in eastern Europe and the ex-Soviet Union. Human rights group often complain about a lack of democracy and entrenched corruption in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
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(News report from Issue No. 189, published on June 18 2014)
JUNE 18 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – There seems little doubt now that security along the Afghan-Turkmen border has deteriorated markedly this year.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) militants from Afghanistan attacked another Turkmen border post on June 4, injuring six soldiers.
Six soldiers have already been killed this year in at least two other attacks. These are the only attacks that we’ve been told about. There could be more.
Now Daulat Mawin, an Afghan regional security chief, has confirmed the worst. RFE/RL quoted him saying that security has worsened and that the Turkmen military are now patrolling the border with helicopters.
What Central Asian states fear is the march northwards of the Taliban once NATO leaves Afghanistan. Turkmenistan is an increasingly important source of gas for the Western world and targeting it would, therefore, hit the West.
The Turkmen authorities have been tight-lipped on what is going on along their borders but they are worried and senior officials have travelled to Kabul to discuss the situation with their Afghan counterparts.
Mr Mawin, the Afghan regional security chief, appeared to have confirmed the Turkmens’ worst fears. He described the attackers of the Turkmen border post as militants rather than smugglers.
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(News report from Issue No. 189, published on June 18 2014)
JUNE 16 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – In 2013, Turkmenistan produced 62.3b cubic metres of gas, only a slight increase on the previous year, BP said in its annual review of the world’s energy setup. It also said that after Russia, Iran and Qatar, Turkmenistan holds the largest gas reserves in the world.
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(News report from Issue No. 189, published on June 18 2014)
JUNE 13 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan’s President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov ordered the Academy of Science to set up a solar power institute to examine whether the renewable energy can be generated on an industrial basis, media reported. Turkmenistan sees itself as a regional energy super-power. It has signed deals to supply a third of China’s gas.
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(News report from Issue No. 189, published on June 18 2014)
JUNE 16 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – South Korean president Park Geun-hye started a six day trip to Central Asia by visiting Tashkent.
There Ms Guen-hye pledged to increase cooperation in gas and solar power sector.
This was just the first stage in an important Central Asia trip for the South Korean leader. Ms Guen-hye now travels to Astana and then to Ashgabat laying down a serious marker in the region.
Central Asia is a natural region for South Korea to look to carve out an overseas trade foothold. Soviet dictator Josef Stalin ensured that this was the case.
In the 1930s, worried about their loyalty, Stalin moved hundreds of thousands of Koreans living in the east of the Soviet Union to Central Asia. Most settled around Tashkent or Almaty.
Now both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have large Korean minorities. Many ethnic Koreans are involved in business and some in politics. There are Korean restaurants in cities in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and transport links with Seoul are well-established.
Ms Geun-hye is looking to leverage these ties to ensure that South Korea is able to tap into the region’s energy reserves as well as putting Korean companies in a good position to do business.
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(News report from Issue No. 189, published on June 18 2014)
JUNE 9 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – South Korean president Park Geun-hye will visit Uzbekistan next week as part of a tour of Central Asia that also includes Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, media reported quoting an Uzbek government source. There are large Koran ethnic minorities living in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
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(News report from Issue No. 188, published on JUNE 11 2014)
JUNE 7 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – An earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude hit Turkmenistan, roughly 120km north of the port of Turkmenbasy, the US Geological Survey said.The earthquake was deep, 12.2km below the surface, and no injuries or deaths were reported. Central Asia is prone to earthquakes.
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(News report from Issue No. 188, published on JUNE 11 2014)
JUNE 4 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) -Turkey plans to increase the amount of gas from Turkmenistan that it transports to Europe, media quoted Turkish President Abdullah Gul as saying at the end of a trip to Ankara by Turkmenistan’s President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. Turkmenistan has become a major gas producer over the past few years.
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(News report from Issue No. 188, published on JUNE 11 2014)
JUNE 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Malaysia’s PM Datuk Razak visited Ashgabat for talks with Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on how to develop Islamic banking in the Central Asian state.
This is significant because Malaysia is the home of Islamic banking and also because it shows that Turkmenistan may be serious about developing out another section of its economy. Turkmenistan’s new found international status is built on gas exports.
Mr Razak also clearly had an agenda for boosting the presence of Malaysia’s state-owned energy company Petronas in Turkmenistan. Mr Razak said that Petronas had already invested about $8b in Turkmenistan’s energy sector.
“The Turkmenistan President is keen that Malaysia becomes a partner in all areas. This is because his confidence in Malaysia is very high,” Mr Razak said before flying back to Malaysia. “Malaysia has become a priority nation for Turkmenistan.”
Maybe but currently trade outside the oil and gas sector between Malaysia and Turkmenistan is light. Media reported that bilateral trade amounted to just $33m last year and that only 940 Malaysian tourists visited Turkmenistan.
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(News report from Issue No. 188, published on June 11 2014)
JUNE 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The third branch of a gas pipeline running from Turkmenistan, through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to China opened on May 31, media reported. Line C, as it is known, will double the pipeline’s capacity to 55b cubic metres of gas per year by 2015. Gas exports to China are vital to Central Asia’s economies.
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(News report from Issue No. 187, published on JUNE 4 2014)