Tag Archives: Uzbekistan

Azerbaijani, Kazakh and Uzbek ministers meet in Astana

JULY 12 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — With the exception of Turkmenistan, foreign ministers of the Caspian Sea littoral states met in Astana to continue drafting a resolution which should resolve ongoing disputes over the legal status of the Caspian. Kazakh PM Karim Massimov also attended. The ministers said the convention will be signed at a heads of state meeting next year in Astana.

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(News report from Issue No. 289, published on July 15 2016)

Car sales drop in Uzbekistan

JULY 12 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — US-Uzbek joint venture GM Uzbekistan sold 34.5% fewer cars in the Russian market in June 2016, compared to the same month last year, a sign of continued market weakness and possibly of rumoured management problems. GM Uzbekistan’s exports to Russia are down 17% in H1 2016, compared to a drop of 14% for total car sales in Russia. This year, GM Uzbekistan’s director was arrested for allegedly creating an illegal sale scheme for cars earmarked for export.

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(News report from Issue No. 289, published on July 15 2016)

Uzbek President’s daughter loses $300m

JULY 6 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Dutch prosecutors asked a court in Amsterdam to confiscate €300m ($333m) from Gibraltar-registered Takilant, a company linked to Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of Uzbekistan’s president. Takilant allegedly received bribes in 2007/8 from Sweden’s Telia Company (then called TeliaSonera) and Russia’s VimpelCom to award mobile licenses in Uzbekistan. Dutch prosecutors asked the court to impose a €5m ($5.5) fine on Takilant and seize its 6% stake in Ucell, an Uzbek subsidiary of Telia Company. VimpelCom is registered in the Netherlands.

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(News report from Issue No. 288, published on July 8 2016)

Uzbek CBank orders foreign cash limit

JULY 5 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan’s Central Bank ordered banks to impose a $300 monthly limit on card withdrawals abroad, possibly an effort to limit exchange rate speculation. The previous limit was set at $100/day. Uzbeks typically withdraw cash in US dollars and local currencies when travelling abroad to hoard and hedge against the sum currency, which has steadily weakened against the US dollar in recent months.

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(News report from Issue No. 288, published on July 8 2016)

Turkey says two Kyrgyz and Uzbek citizens attacked Istanbul airport

BISHKEK, JUNE 30 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Turkish security forces said that two of the three attackers at Istanbul’s international airport on Tuesday were from Central Asia, highlighting Islamic extremist recruitment in the region.

At least 44 people died and another 240 people were injured when the three attackers opened fire with machine guns outside the terminal building and then blew themselves up. Nobody has claimed responsibility, although the radical IS group is the main suspect.

The Turkish government has now said one of the attackers was from the North Caucasus and the others were from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan has not commented; Kyrgyzstan initially denied a connection.

But analysts said that if two of the attackers were proved to be from Central Asia, it would show the increasingly effective recruitment network IS has developed in the region.

Anna Matveeva of King’s College London said Central Asia had become one of IS’s main recruitment pools because of its various social problems and the marginalisation of pious Muslims.

“Radicalisation and violence is definitely on the rise in Central Asia,” she said. “I think this phenomenon is growing.”

Central Asian governments are worried about the rise in IS recruitment in the area.

In 2015, a senior Tajik police commander defected to IS. Last month, the Kazakh government blamed an attack in Aktobe, in the northwest of the country, on a group which had links with Syria.

Analysts have said part of the problem is that security forces in Central Asia don’t coordinate effectively.

Kate Mallinson, a Central Asia analyst at London-based GPW, said if proved that two of the Istanbul attackers were from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan there was likely to be a reaction by the security forces.

“The tragic attack in Istanbul will give the Central Asian governments further carte blanche in their application of punitive measures against Islamic movements in the Central Asian region,” she said.

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