7/30/2019 Central Asia & South Caucasus News 114 (the Conway Bulletin)
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Central Asia & South Caucasus News.
POLITICSGEORGIA: More arrests
Police in Georgia arrested more senior
officials, mainly linked to the opposition,throughout the week in an operation some have
described as a witch-hunt by the new government.
Highlighting the alarm felt by Georgias foreign
allies, the US publicly asked the authorities
to stop the arrests (Nov. 16).
GEORGIA: Opposition leader returns
After five years in exile, Georgias former
defence minister Irakli Okruashvili returned to
Tbilisi to face accusations of bribe-taking and
forming an illegal armed group (Nov. 20). Mr
Okruashvili had been an ally of GeorgianPresident Mikheil Saakashvili before becoming
an opposition leader in 2007 and then fleeing.
MEDIAKAZAKHSTAN: Police raid media
In their latest effort to close opposition
media, the Kazakh authorities asked the courts
to label TV station K+ and the Respublika and
Vzglyad newspapers as extremist and ban them
(Nov. 21). This year, in the wake of riots in
the west of the country, the authorities have
cracked down on media it views as troublesome.
KYRGYZSTAN: ICG researcher accused
Kyrgyz authorities have accused an Irish
researcher, Conor Prasad, working for the
Brussels-based think tank International Crisis
Group (ICG) of stirring ethnic tension in Osh,
media reported (Nov. 22). The ICG, which
publishes influential reports on Central Asia,
and Kyrgyzstan in particular, denied the
allegations.
FOCUS: Kyrgyzstans economy
>>Recent economic news from Kyrgyzstan presents conflicting future prospects
Instability stalks Kyrgyzstan. Its prone to revolution, the rule of law is weak, corruption
is deeply-rooted and ethnic tensions simmer just below the surface.
Under-pinning all this is its relatively impoverished economy. Alongside Tajikistan,
Kyrgyzstan is the poorest country in Central Asia, with little arable land or natural resources.
All this makes the Kumtor gold mine in the mountains of eastern Kyrgyzstan so important.
Its owned by Toronto-listed Centerra Gold (which is, itself, part owned by the Kyrgyz
government). The mine makes up around 12% of the countrys annual GDP.
Thats why the announcement earlier this month by Centerra that the gold reserves at the
mine are actually more than 50% larger than originally thought was so important (Nov. 8).
Centerra went further and said the life-span of the mine would be extended by another five
years to 2023. Good news, indeed, for Kyrgyzstan.Less positive was an announcement by the national bank that it expects inflation to be
higher in 2013 than first thought (Nov. 19). It now forecasts inflation in 2013 at around 11%,
up from an earlier forecast of 8%. Rising food prices have created the inflationary pressure
-- a bad economic sign not just for Kyrgyzstan but for the entire Central Asia region.
ENERGYTURKMENISTAN: Production at gas field to start
A Turkmen official told Reuters that production
at the worlds second largest gas field,Galkynysh, would begin next year (Nov. 16).
Galkynysh was confirmed as the worlds second
largest gas field last year and, when production
begins, will cement Turkmenistans status as one
of the regions most important energy producers.
AZERBAIJAN: BPs problems
A senior official at SOCAR, Azerbaijans state
energy company, hinted that the BP-lead group
developing the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) field
in the Caspian Sea would be expected to invest
more cash into the project to maintainproduction, media reported (Nov. 21). Azerbaijan
has complained about below-expected production
rates at the field.
TUKMENISTAN: Gas to Iran
Media quoted Sahatmurad Mamedov, chairman of
state energy company Turkmengaz, denying that
Turkmenistan had cut gas supplies to Iran
because of a pricing dispute, as reported last
week by Iranian media (Nov. 22). Instead Mr
Mamedov said gas had been stopped to fix the
pipeline and that the flow had now re-started.
ECONOMYTAJKISTAN: Remittance kings
World Bank data showed, again, that Tajikistans
economy is the most reliant in the world on
remittances, media reported (Nov. 22). In 2011,
remittances, mainly from Russia, accounted for
47% of Tajikistans GDP. Second on the list was
Liberia with a 31% share. Remittances made up
29% of Kyrgyzstans GDP last year.
Issue no. 114
Nov. 23 2012 (covering Nov. 16 - 22)
Edited in London
www.theconwaybulletin.com Copyright 2012The Conway Bulletin, 12 Melcombe Place, London NW1 6JJ
The Conway Bulletin: Independent newssheets covering Central Asia & the South Caucasus
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