Round-Up
Weekly Round-Up: December 21 – December 25
A weekly review of events in the Caspian region. This week: Azerbaijan doubles gas exports to Russia, while Russia and Turkmenistan finally resolve their squabble. Iran-Armenia look forward to railroad launch, Tajikistan starts a fishing revival and Kyrgyzstan‘s Pharmaco reaches out to consumers.
Azerbaijan: Gas and Telecommunications
Azerbaijan is set to double gas exports to Russia from January 1st 2010, reports Tehran Times, taking the annual volume to 1 billion cbm. As the report notes, there may be some concern in Europe at the development as Azerbaijan has been earmarked as an important potential contributor to the Nabucco pipeline.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Transport has received the first part of technical documentation for the construction of the Baku international sea trade port, to be located south of the country’s capital according to abc.az. A tender has now been launched for the port canal dredging – the first stage of the stage of the construction process.
Doubts have been raised about the necessity of the Transnational Eurasian information Superhighway (TASIM), reports abc.az. The President of the Internet Forum of Azerbaijan, Osman Gunduz, claims that it would be more beneficial to develop the two existing information highways in the country.
Turkmenistan: Russia Dispute and Telecommunications
Turmkenistan and Russia have finally revised their gas contract and are set to resume deliveries on January 1st following a 9-month hiatus. Deliveries were halted back in April following a price dispute and an explosion on one of the pipelines. According to the Oil and Gas Journal, under the new contract, Russian will purchase up to 30 billion cbm per year of Turkmen gas – about two-thirds the level of recent years – under a price formula based on the European gas market.
Chinese PC maker Lenovo has signed an agreement with Turkmenistan to provide comprehensive information services to administrative agencies in the country, reports Chinatech news. A representative from Lenovo revealed that the company is currently expanding its sales in Turkmenistan through local core channel providers and providing training sessions for local IT operatives.
The Turkmen Railway Transport Ministry has signed a $371 million loan agreement with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), according to Trend news. The loan is to be used for the construction of a railway line between the Turkmen cities of Bereket and Etrek.
Armenia: Jewelry and Rail
According to Diamond News, Armenia is seeking a new $100 million loan from Russia, which will be used to boost the jewelry business in the country. The funds will do towards the establishment of a new diamond exchange that will supply Russian diamonds to local jewelry factories, the report continues.
A railroad project linking Armenia and Iran is due to be launched next year, reports News.az. The project will be implemented in three phases: The first will study whether the Yerevan-Ararat and Yerevan-Ashtarak passes are safe for rail travel; the second will begin work on restoring the Ashtarak-Gumri rail section; and the third stage envisages construction of a new Goris-Kapan railroad.
Tajikistan: Fishing Revival
A new modern fishery technology exploitation has been introduced in Tajikistan for the first time, according to Muzaffar Mirzoyev, the head of the livestock, poultry, fishery and bee-keeping department. In an interview with local news agency Asia-Plus, Mirzoyev explained that two fishpond lines have been installed in the Norak reservoir at a total cost of $25,000. As Asia-Plus notes, the collapse of the Soviet Union had a dsasterous effect on fish production in Central Asia and the Caucasus, with fisheries production plummeting dramatically, in some places by as much as 98%.
Kyrgyzstan: Issyk-Kul and Pharmaco
According to news agency 24.kg, the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan has endorsed bill on sustainable development of the Issyk-Kul region. According to Finance Minister Marat Sultanov, “The project will include improvements in the infrastructure of Balykchy, Cholpon-Ata, Karakol, modernization of the water supply and waste-water systems, recycling of solid wastes.”
According to a press release, Kyrgyz Pharmaceutical Plant Pharmaco Group has launched a new website, designed to increase dialogue with consumers. Olga Romanovich, marketing manager of Pharmaco Group LLC, notes that “our website is designed both for private consumers, which can see the production line of the factory and for the professional pharmaceutical market players: distributors and suppliers of raw materials. Visiting the list of our plant in Internet, they can assess the potential for cooperation and clearly see that Pharmaco Group is a public company that is always open for dialogue”.
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