Azerbaijan Business Cables

(courtesy of the USACC) Azerbaijan Heads into Space with First National Satellite The Azerbaijan Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies has signed a contract with Orbital Sciences Corp. to build Azerbaijan’s first national satellite, Orbital announced May 27. Orbital Sciences Corporation will produce the satellite over 26 months. Azerbaijan plans to launch the synchronous space telecommunications satellite between July and August 2012. The country will use the satellite to start developing its space industry. “I understand that this contract is only the start. Keep Reading »

Regional Business Updates

Regional business updates from around the region:

Kyrgyzstan:  Closed borders continue to hamper trade and in particular the regional shuttle trade that supplies local bazaars and small businesses.  Currently Kazakhstan is allowing trains to pass through its territory towards “third party destinations.”  Continued unrest in the South of Kyrgyzstan may prolong this economic isolation.

Kazakhstan:  According to Kazakhstan Today, Kazakhstan has a defecit of raw materials in certain growing sectors. This includes the manufacturing Keep Reading »

“What Matters in Privatization is Process”

In a posting last month on the Center for International and Private Enterprises (CIPE) development blog, Elena Suhir analyzed several recent privatization deals in Kyrgyzstan.  Below is her analysis and conclusions on the current process for privatizing state assets. 

 Since 2008, President Bakiev has embarked on a privatization mission. Lessons from around the world and most recently other former Soviet countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, and others, clearly illustrate that privatization is not an end to itself. Rather the process of privatization is the key to successful transition from a centralized to a market economy. With this goal in mind, Kyrgyz civil society, with the business community at its helm, continues to sound alarms over speedy privatization that ensues in Kyrgyzstan with little transparency and much public skepticism. Keep Reading »