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Central Asian News Update - Turkmenistan: Ashgabat Sidesteps Global Credit Crisis, But Faces Inflation Fight (EurasiaNet)
Turkmenistan: Ashgabat Sidesteps Global Credit Crisis, But Faces Inflation battle (EurasiaNet) BY DEIRDRE TYNAN While other countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia grapple with the global financial crisis, Turkmenistan seems set to sidestep trouble. But this is not because Turkmenistan’s leaders have been particularly savvy, prudent or even lucky, analysts say. Rather it is the insular attitude of the gas-wealthy state’s leadership — past and gift — that is protecting Ashgabat. Iran, Turkm
31 Oct 2008, 11:31 pm | click here for more
Higher Prices, Lower Use
Global Water Intelligence runs an annual survey of international water/wastewater prices. According to the 2007 survey [XLS], Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), Baghdad, Belfast, and Cork & Dublin provided both for free. At the high end, Stuttgart & Frankfurt, Glasgow, and Aarhus & Copenhagen every charged over $7 per cubic meter (1,000 liters). US prices ranged from a low of $0.58/m3 in Memphis, TN to a high of $3.91 in Richmond, VA. Prices in the 2008 Report [PDF] are similar (Baghdad raised prices to
27 Oct 2008, 6:25 am | click here for more
Central Asian News Update - EU Eases Uzbek Sanctions Despite Reporter’s Jailing (Institute for War and Peace Reporting)
EU Eases Uzbek Sanctions Despite Reporter’s Jailing (Institute for War and Peace Reporting) European officials talk of progress three days after independent journalist gets ten-year jail term. RF govt to approve ratification of treaty on Caspian gas pipeline (Itar-Tass) MOSCOW, October 27 (Itar-Tass) — At its meeting on Monday the Russian government intends to approve the ratification of a Russian-Kazakh-Turkmen agreement on cooperation in building a Caspian gas pipeline, the press service
27 Oct 2008, 1:01 am | click here for more
Oh, The Places You'll Go
The departures board in Heathrow Terminal 3 is a buffet menu of interesting holiday spots. Problem is, if I stare at it for too long I start imagining which flights I could board instead of SQ317 to Singapore: VS019 to San Francisco (a city JRE has rhapsodised about many times before); AA105 to New York (of course); AC861 to Halifax in Nova Scotia; SK532 to Stockholm (a bargain after the Swedish krona's plunge this week); TS428 to Ashgabat... where? Even Ashgabat would probably be more fun
25 Oct 2008, 6:10 am | click here for more
Cables, dispatches and memoranda
A brief world news roundup for 21 November 2008. United States & the Americas CNN - A federal judge ordered the release of five Guantanamo Bay detainees Thursday, saying the government failed to show that they were “foe combatants.” Judge Richard Leon issued the order in the case of six detainees who were challenging their detention. Jurist - US Army prosecutors said Wednesday they would be filing new charges against Mohammad al-Qahtani, a Saudi Arabian citizen being held at the US milit
21 Nov 2008, 1:52 am | click here for more
Turkmen-Malaysian talks held in Ashgabat
Turkmen-Malaysian talks held in Ashgabat On 19 November, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who arrived in Ashgabat on an official visit. The sides discussed priority areas of cooperation, in particular the trade and economic sphere, fuel and energy sphere as well as education, the Turkmen State News Agency (TDH) said. The head of state welcomed the decision of the Petronas University of Technology to increase a quota for Turkme
21 Nov 2008, 12:04 am | click here for more
Ambassador of Finland accredited in Turkmenistan
Ambassador of Finland accredited in Turkmenistan On the instruction of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the Mejlis Chairperson Akja Nurberdiyeva accepted credentials of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Finland Republic to Turkmenistan, Timo Lahelma, on 19 November. The diplomat said he was impressed by reforms and democratic transformations in Turkmenistan, the Turkmen State News Agency (TDH) reports. The Ambassador of Finland held talks at the Ministry of
21 Nov 2008, 12:02 am | click here for more
Malaysia PM Abdullah does not rule out cabinet reshuffle
Malaysia PM Abdullah does not rule out cabinet reshuffle ASHGABAT (Turkmenistan), Nov 20 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Wednesday did not rule out the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle soon should an MCA minister vacate his seat. However, he said, the minor cabinet reshuffle did not necessarily mean filling that ...
20 Nov 2008, 10:05 pm | click here for more
US standing in Caspian drips away
Adsense Code] Source : Asia Times OnlineBy M K Bhadrakumar On Sunday, en route to Astana, Kazakhstan, after a “very nice trip to India”, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters accompanying her, “I just wish I could have stayed longer in India”. New Delhi must be one of a handful of capitals where officials from the George W Bush administration receive an expectant welcome, and the doomsday warnings emitted from New York and Washington do not seem
19 Oct 2008, 2:57 pm | click here for more
Abdullah arrives for two-day official visit to Turkmenistan
ASHGABAT (Turkmenistan), WED: Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi arrived here Wednesday for a two-day official visit to Turkmenistan, the second and final destination of his central Asian tour to strengthen relations with the region. His executive jet touched down AT the Ashgabat International Airport at 9.25am (12.25pm Malaysian time) and he was welcomed by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet Ministers of Turkmenistan Tagyyev Tachbeerdi. He then proceeded to the Oil a
19 Nov 2008, 10:59 am | click here for more
Energy superpower emerges in the Caspian
Oct 17, 2008 By M K Bhadrakumar Turkmenistan knows better than any other country that predators will go to any extent to take away its valuable possessions. Five successive empires - Scythian, Parthian, Ywati, Hun and Turkmen - invaded the area to locate the “Akhal” oasis nestled in the foothills of the Kopet Dag mountains in southern Turkmenistan, and laid waste everything that came across their way until they could take away the treasured Akhal-Teke horses as spoils of war. The ancient rac
18 Oct 2008, 6:09 am | click here for more
The Turkmen Energy Giant
Turkmenistan has just discovered what might be the fourth largest natural gas field on earth. I am sure that Gazprom doesn't like this development whatsoever. From the Asia Times: British consultancy firm Gaffney, Cline & Associates (GCA), making the announcement in Ashgabat regarding the first results of its audit of Turkmen gas reserves, said its low estimate below the established international and classification system is that the fields may have a minimum 4 trillion cubic meters of gas and a
16 Oct 2008, 12:04 pm | click here for more
Mediterranean Relations: The Tide is Rising on Two Fronts
Mediterranean Relations: The Tide is Rising on Two Fronts October 16th, 2008 by Patrick Frost In recent weeks the Mediterranean states of Greece and Turkey have pushed to strengthen their diplomatic ties to the Central Asian region and its states. In the case of Turkey, it is the continuing of a growing relationship, and in the case of Greece, it is an attempt to reinvigorate what has in recent times been a minimal presence in the region. Turkey has successfully reemphasized its historic conn
16 Oct 2008, 11:34 am | click here for more
Friday, 10/17
NYT 11:05Sun 6:14CHE 4:54LAT 3:53CS 2:56WSJ 9:18(updated at 5 p.m. Friday)Friday's two themeless puzzles offer about as much contrast as two very good themeless crosswords can. Patrick Berry's New York Times puzzle contains a super-low word count of 54; there has been just one 52-worder and three other 54-worders in the NYT. David Quarfoot's Sun crossword, a "Weekend Warrior," has the highest allowable word count for a themeless, 72. The Quarfoot puzzle has six 10-letter answers plus an assortme
16 Oct 2008, 11:14 pm | click here for more
CONF/CFP - The Turkic World, the Caucasus, and Iran: Civilisational Crossroads of Interactions
International Conference The Turkic World, the Caucasus, and Iran: CivilisationalCrossroads of InteractionsJuly 10-12, 2009Yerevan, Armeniahttp://www.armacad. org/civilization icaThe International Journal Iran and the Caucasus (BRILL: Leiden-Boston) , the Department of Iranian Studies at Yerevan State University, the Makhtumquli Feraqi Centre for Turkic Studies at ARYA International University (Yerevan), the Association for the Study of Persianate Societies (Armenian Branch), in collaboration wi
16 Oct 2008, 11:02 am | click here for more
Central Asian News Update - Kazakh bloggers say can’t access popular website (Reuters)
Kazakh bloggers say can’t access popular website (Reuters) ALMATY (Reuters) - Internet users in Kazakhstan complained of censorship Friday after being unable to access the popular blogging service Livejournal, but the state-owned telecoms company denied it was blocking it. Two six-point magnitude quakes hit Kyrgyzstan in 24 hours (Interfax) BISHKEK. Oct 14 (Interfax) - Two earthquakes measuring six points on the MSK scale were registered in the Osh region, southern Kyrgyzstan close the state
14 Oct 2008, 4:01 pm | click here for more
Russia Expands Its Military Presence In Central Asia
Payvand - Sultan-Khan Zhussip, RFE/RL The secretary-general of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Nikolai Bordyuzha, recently announced the planned formation of an international force in Central Asia that "should be prepared to repel any threat." On November 9, after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev submitted an agreement on the expected 5,000-strong force to the State Duma for approval, Bordyuzha said that the force is to be formed immediately upon the agreement's ratifi
13 Nov 2008, 9:55 pm | click here for more
The Russians are coming
Really? When? where? The secretary general of the Commonwealth of Independent States' Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Nikolai Bordyuzha, recently announced the planned formation of an international force in Central Asia that "should be prepared to repel any threat". On November 9, after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev submitted an agreement on the expected 5,000-strong force to the state Duma (parliament) for approval, Bordyuzha said that the force is to be formed immediatel
13 Nov 2008, 3:30 pm | click here for more
On Wanting to See Ashkabad: Or even just the temple doors
Baha’i Temple Doors being used on the Art Museum? In 1908 in Ashgabat, the world’s first Baha’i home of Worship was built. It was a beautiful Building, but in 1938 it was confiscated by the Soviets and then later destroyed. However I have heard that they moved the original doors from the Temple and used them for the Art Museum that is close the US Embassy. + I was wondering if they are still there. As I would really like to travel to look it. - posted 12-Nov-2008 02:37 by: davenetherwood http
12 Nov 2008, 11:17 pm | click here for more
The Other Arches Out There
People who live in the Show-Me state are pretty proud of one of its most well-known landmarks; the one and only St. Louis Arch. But is it really the "one and only?" It's definitely the only 630-foot Arch here in St. Louis, but there are actually many more arches out there. The Peace Arch (right) is located on the border of the United States and Canada, and was built in 1921 to commemorate the Treaty of Ghent. More specifically, it symbolizes the "adore" that Americans and Canadians are suppos
11 Nov 2008, 9:00 am | click here for more