BISHKEK (TCA) — The Publisher’s note: Central Asia is an important geopolitical area between Europe, Russia and China. It is in Central Asia that world powers have confronted each other for centuries; it is here that China needs to succeed with its new Silk Road Belt for direct access to the Western markets; and it is here that a large wealth of raw materials has its origin. Every week thousands of news appears all over the world in printed and online media and it is quite understandable that many of them may escape the attention of busy readers. At The Times of Central Asia, we strongly believe that more information can better contribute to peaceful development and better knowledge of the region, and for this reason we are presenting this Weekly Digest of Central Asia which compiles what other media have reported during the past week.
KAZAKHSTAN
Vitol extends cash-for-crude deal with Kazakhstan to $5bn
Kazakhstan attracts funds from international energy traders to finance the country’s crude oil production which is set to increase despite the country’s committments before OPEC. Kazakhstan has to up its oil output at the Kashagan oil field, mainly to repay huge investments in its development
Sep 18 — “Vitol, the world’s largest independent energy trader, has increased its cash-for-crude loans to state-controlled companies in Kazakhstan to as much as $5bn, as commodity houses move deeper into the business of financing cash-strapped oil producing states.” READ MORE: https://www.ft.com/content/6fc02f7c-9a19-11e7-a652-cde3f882dd7b
Kazakhstan sees economic growth
The government in Kazakhstan says the country’s economic growth is largely due to the measures taken to boost the manufacturing and processing industries, as well as non-extractive sector
Sep 19 — “The economic growth in Kazakhstan stood at the level of 4.3 percent in the first eight months of the current year. This was stated by Kazakh First Vice-Minister of National Economy Ruslan Dalenov at a government meeting on September 19, Kazinform reported.” READ MORE: https://www.azernews.az/region/119185.html
Kazakhstan: Children in Hijabs Barred From Schools
Authorities in Kazakhstan have said they are not going to ban Muslim clothes but only those that cover people’s faces. In recent time, the issue of wearing Islamic dress has become very relevant in Kazakhstan, which is a secular state by the Constitution
Sep 20 — “The management of educational affairs in the town of Zhanaozen, in western Kazakhstan, plans to sue the parents of 60 pupils. Girls are unable to attend classes because they wear Islamic dress in violation of the school rules, RFE/RL’s Kazakhstan service, Radio Azattyk, has reported.” READ MORE: http://www.eurasianet.org/node/85221
Kazakh pension scandals stir criticism of government
A series of scandals involving Kazakhstan’s Unified Pension Fund have caused the population’s anxiety over their future pensions and prompted an outburst of angry social media posts
Sep 21 — “Media trainer Anara Kuandikova, 29, is typical of the generation of post-independence professionals who have most to lose if anything goes wrong with oil-rich Kazakhstan’s scandal-struck Unified Pension Fund.” READ MORE: https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Economy/Kazakh-pension-scandals-stir-criticism-of-government
India to expand hydrocarbon cooperation with Kazakhstan
India is reaching out to Kazakhstan, seeking to cooperate not only in hydrocarbons, but also in the fields of medicine, industry, agriculture, and nuclear energy
Sep 21 — “India is considering expanding hydrocarbon cooperation with resource-rich Kazakhstan including exploration and production of hydrocarbons and participation of Indian companies in the oil and gas sector of Central Asia’s biggest country.” READ MORE: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/oil-gas/india-to-expand-hydrocarbon-cooperation-with-kazakhstan/articleshow/60783908.cms
KYRGYZSTAN
Rapprochement With Kyrgyzstan: Mirziyoyev’s Greatest Foreign Policy Achievement to Date
Under the late President Karimov, Uzbekistan’s relations with Kyrgyzstan were probably the most difficult of Tashkent’s relations with other Central Asia neighbors. Now the two neighbors have found a common language in such sensitive issues as hydropower resources and border delimitation
Sep 18 — “Until September 4, 2017, the president of Uzbekistan had not paid a state visit to Kyrgyzstan in 17 years. But Uzbekistan’s new head of state, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, is determined to build a “security belt” around his country. And this has served as a catalyst to overcome the animosities of his predecessor and rebuild relations with the Kyrgyz Republic” READ MORE: https://jamestown.org/program/rapprochement-with-kyrgyzstan-mirziyoyevs-greatest-foreign-policy-achievement-to-date/
Kyrgyzstan awards Chaarat permits for Tulkubash heap leach project
Another gold mining project is getting started in Kyrgyzstan after the recent settlement between Canada’s Centerra Gold and the Kyrgyz government over the Kumtor mine was considered as an encouraging sign for all mining companies operating in the country
Sep 21 — “Aim-quoted Chaarat Gold has received all necessary approvals to bring its Tulkubash heap-leach project, in Kyrgyzstan, into production in 2019, the company announced on Thursday. This follows the State Committee of Energy, Industry and Subsoil Use’s (SCEIS’s) approval of Chaarat’s technical study” READ MORE: http://www.miningweekly.com/article/kyrgyzstan-awards-charaat-permits-for-tulkubash-heap-leach-project-2017-09-21
Kyrgyzstan Accuses Kazakhstan of Political Meddling
For Kyrgyz presidential candidate Omurbek Babanov, support from Kazakh President Nazarbayev may prove a boon, but it could just as easily backfire, given that Babanov was, at one stage, a citizen of Kazakhstan, and that Babanov has an ethnic Kazakh wife
Sep 21 — “Kyrgyzstan is brimming with indignation at what it perceives as the meddling of neighboring Kazakhstan in its upcoming presidential election. On September 19, the office of Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced he had met for talks in Astana with Kyrgyz presidential candidate and multimillionaire businessman Omurbek Babanov.” READ MORE: http://www.eurasianet.org/node/85236
Kyrgyzstan authorities trumpet entrepreneurs’ achievements as problems remain
Authorities in Kyrgyzstan often repeat that the country is a ‘paradise’ for investors, though the reality is not as bright as the government would like to have it
Sep 21 — “On September 20, Kyrgyzstan marked its Entrepreneur’s Day. Traditionally, the country’s top leadership congratulated entrepreneurs, giving diplomas and memorable gifts to outstanding business people for their “fruitful work and significant contribution to the social and economic development of the country”. READ MORE: https://timesca.com/index.php/news/18666-kyrgyzstan-authorities-trumpet-entrepreneurs-achievements-as-problems-remain
TAJIKISTAN
Pakistan invites Tajikistan to benefit from CPEC
Pakistan and Tajikistan seek more cooperation in energy sector, regional connectivity and trade, as Pakistan can offer landlocked Tajikistan access to its sea ports
Sep 17 — “President Mamnoon Hussain on Sunday said, Pakistan offered excellent opportunities to Tajikistan for its imports and exports through Gwadar port and invited the country to benefit from the trade route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).” READ MORE: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/230604-Gwadar-port-lucrative-for-Tajikistans-import-export-Pakistan
Tajikistan: Saudis Brag About Pushing Out Iran
While sharing a common language and traditions, Tajikistan and Iran are experiencing a difficult period in bilateral relations, while Iran’s regional rival, Saudi Arabia, is strengthening its position in Tajikistan by providing financial support to the poor Central Asian country
Sep 19 — “Middle Eastern rivalries are playing out in Tajikistan. Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Tajikistan spoke in an interview last week of his satisfaction at successfully pursuing diplomatic overtures that culminated with the “expulsion of Iran and its agents from the country.” READ MORE: http://www.eurasianet.org/node/85191
Would You Lend to Tajikistan?
As Tajikistan has recently issued $500 million of ten year bonds for completion of its major hydropower plant project, there are many potential economic and political risks for bondholders and investors in the country
Sep 20 — “The issue of bonds by Tajikistan this month follows on from recent low quality bond issues from Argentina, Greece and Iraq. Emerging market debt investors piled into the offering allowing the nation to issue US$500 million of ten year bonds at 7.125%. Investors who bought in cited the yield on offer and diversification as reasons to invest.” READ MORE: https://www.livewiremarkets.com/wires/would-you-lend-to-tajikistan
Good Grief: Tajik Officials Ban Loud Wailing, Black Clothing At Funerals
The move is the latest in a series of the government’s steps aimed at governing more and more aspects of private lives of Tajikistan citizens. Authorities justify such measures by saying they represent efforts to limit creeping religious extremism in the Muslim country
Sep 20 — “Funerals in Tajikistan can be anything but quiet, somber affairs. Bereaved, mostly female, family members frequently wail and lament so loudly that their cries can be heard throughout the neighborhood. In rare cases, families even hire professionals to ululate even more loudly, reinforcing the atmosphere of extreme grief and anguish.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/tajikistan-officials-ban-loud-wailing-black-clothing-funerals/28747362.html
TURKMENISTAN
Bread and Circuses in Ashgabat
Though the Asian Games are a medium-level sport event, Turkmenistan has spent more than $5 billion for the preparations for the competition, despite the fact that the country’s economy is in a crisis amid lower prices for natural gas, Turkmenistan’s main export item
Sep 18 — “In Turkmenistan, an old proverb states that a Turkmen’s home was “wherever his horse happened to stand.” Recently, however, Turkmen homes have been demolished to make room for a horse of a different kind, the fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Art Games, fittingly represented by a stallion in its logo.” READ MORE: http://thediplomat.com/2017/09/bread-and-circuses-in-ashgabat/
Turkmenistan’s total natural gas reserves revised
Ranked 4th in the world in terms of proven natural gas reserves, Turkmenistan currently exports its gas to China alone, seeking to diversify gas export routes
Sep 19 — “The total natural gas reserves of Turkmenistan are estimated at 50.4 trillion cubic meters, according to the revised data, a source in the country’s fuel and energy complex told Trend.” READ MORE: https://en.trend.az/business/energy/2798072.html
Turkmenistan to further boost cotton industry
The world’s 9th-largest cotton producer, Turkmenistan invests millions of dollars into the cotton industry and creates new textile plants
Sep 19 — “Turkmenistan is known worldwide for its huge oil and gas reserves, however it is not the only resource which brings the country most of its income. One of the primary exports items of Turkmenistan has traditionally been cotton.” READ MORE: https://www.azernews.az/region/119190.html
UZBEKISTAN
Uzbekistan: Official Currency Trading Hints at Size of Black Market
Although the Uzbek government has introduced full convertibility of the national currency, local economists believe that the black currency market is not going to fully disappear as yet
Sep 16 — “In the first week following the government’s decision to make the national currency officially convertible, households and businesses in Uzbekistan bought around $300 million worth of Uzbek sum, a leading financial regulator has said, offering some hint of what has been happening on the black market.” READ MORE: http://www.eurasianet.org/node/85181
At UN, Uzbekistan president outlines his policy for the country and Central Asia region
The Uzbek president says Tashkent aims to create “a peaceful and economically prosperous Central Asia” that will be “a zone of stability, sustainable development, and good-neighborliness”
Sep 20 — “In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 19, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev pledged to focus his government on bringing greater prosperity and human rights to his country and the Central Asia region, RFE/RL reported.” READ MORE: https://timesca.com/index.php/news/18656-at-un-uzbekistan-president-outlines-his-policy-for-the-country-and-central-asia-region
Uzbekistan’s new leader fails his first test
The director of the Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights says that one year after the death of Islam Karimov, the continued use of forced labor in Uzbekistan’s cotton fields shows how slow the pace of change really is
Sep 21 — “While President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan tucked into his third course at a New York dinner with wealthy American businessmen on Wednesday night, university students back home were preparing for a long day in the fields plucking cotton.” READ MORE: https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/umida-niyazova/uzbekistan-s-new-leader-fails-his-first-test
Uzbek President Flies Oligarch Airways To UN General Assembly
The Kremlin-friendly Russian tycoon of Uzbek origin, Alisher Usmanov, may well be used by Moscow as an excellent channel of communications with Tashkent in an effort to improve ties with Uzbekistan
Sep 21 — “When Shavkat Mirziyoev flew to New York to address the UN General Assembly, he didn’t take Uzbekistan’s official presidential plane. Instead, he flew on the private Airbus A340-313 of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-mirziyoev-usmanov-un-assembly/28749030.html
AFGHANISTAN
U.S., NATO still trying to map out Afghanistan strategy
Although the new U.S. strategy provides a clearer picture of the way forward in Afghanistan, the NATO is yet to make final troop decisions for Afghanistan in October
Sep 16 — “Even though President Trump announced his strategy for the war in Afghanistan in August, the Pentagon and NATO are still trying to map their way forward in the nearly 16-year-old conflict, according to U.S. officials.” READ MORE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/09/16/u-s-nato-still-trying-to-map-out-afghanistan-strategy/?utm_term=.93cd39c647bf
Is a Turkey-Pakistan partnership brewing in Afghanistan?
Analyst believes that Turkey and Pakistan are looking into forming a regional partnership with Russia and Iran to solve the Taliban question
Sep 18 — “Turkey could rise to greater prominence in Afghanistan as trust in the United States’ capability to fix the situation in Afghanistan has eroded. Pakistan and Turkey’s historical ties means a natural partnership may be on the horizon.” READ MORE: https://www.trtworld.com/opinion/is-a-turkey-pakistan-partnership-brewing-in-afghanistan–10634
Afghanistan: A Civil War State of Mind
Analyst believes the United States and Afghanistan are shifting from a counterinsurgency approach to a “civil war” footing that seeks to consolidate power in crucial areas to ensure long-term survival of the government in Kabul
Sep 20 — “While the finishing touches were being put on the Trump administration’s plan for the war in Afghanistan, the Taliban overran the district center of Khamab, in the northern Jawzjan province. This highlights a growing concern surrounding the strength of the resilient Taliban insurgency” READ MORE: http://thediplomat.com/2017/09/afghanistan-a-civil-war-state-of-mind/
UN Mission: 80 civilians dying in terror attacks daily in Afghanistan
During 16 years of the U.S.-led war on terror in Afghanistan, it is Afghan civilians who are bearing the brunt of the bloodshed in the war-torn country
Sep 22 — “Mahmoud Saikal, the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, told Fox News that the war-embattled nation each day amid the insurgency is losing on average 70 to 80 civilians — only a small percent of whom are military. Other officials suggested the number of civilian casualties is even higher, up to 120 per day.” READ MORE: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/09/21/un-mission-80-civilians-dying-in-terror-attacks-daily-in-afghanistan.html
WORLD
Afghanistan, regional security and the Central Asia republics
Continuing instability in Afghanistan threatens to destabilize the Central Asia region, with violence spilling over into the neighbouring countries like Tajikistan
Sep 19 — “On September 17 Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani emphasized the significance of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, lauding the contribution that such large-scale projects could make to the peaceful settlement of the situation in Afghanistan and the sustainable social and economic development of the entire Central Asian region.” READ MORE: https://timesca.com/index.php/news/26-opinion-head/18652-afghanistan-regional-security-and-the-central-asia-republics
Great Central Asia, America’s counter measure to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
Director General of the Centre for Strategic Research-Diplomacy Afghanistan believes that if America wants to restrain Chinese initiatives in the region, Washington should step up Great Central Asia and sponsor Baluchistan independence, which would give the landlocked Great Central Asia access to the Arabian Sea
Sep 19 — “China’s ambitious global geo-political objective has raised concern among American strategists, which China attempts to Isolate America at the global level. The claim has become more evident during the G20 summit when China curbed president Trump effort to pass a joint declaration in order to condemn North Korea’s recent ICBM test.” READ MORE: http://moderndiplomacy.eu/index.php?Itemid=134&id=2972%3Agreat-central-asia-america-s-counter-measure-to-china-pakistan-economic-corridor&option=com_k2&view=item
Possible Return of IS Central Asian Fighters a Cause for Concern in Region
Central Asia is reportedly the third-largest source of foreign fighters for the Islamic State and other terror groups in Iraq and Syria, with more than 4,000 fighters from Central Asia having reportedly joined the conflict in Iraq and Syria since 2012
Sep 20 — “As the Islamic State terror group is steadily losing territory in Syria and neighboring Iraq, Moscow fears that many fighters from countries in Central Asia may return home from the Mideast battlegrounds and trigger instability in the region, which could also pose a security threat to Russia.” READ MORE: https://www.voanews.com/a/possible-return-islamic-state-central-asian-fighters-cause-concern-region/4038021.html
