Kazakh, Korean companies expected to sign a deal to develop an Iraqi gas field; First stations for satellite navigation system will be launched in Kazakhstan this year; Kazakh President turns down referendum;
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    • Kazakhstan state-owned energy giant KazMunaiGas is expected to sign a joint venture deal, later in the month, with a Korean gas corporation to develop an Iraqi gas field. Akkas natural gas deposit, in the western Anbar province in Iraq, holds 5.6 trillion cubic feet of gas.1 Meanwhile, the first stations for satellite navigation system will be launched in Kazakhstan this year, the chair of the national space agency, Talgat Musabayev, said. First 10 differentiated stations will be launched this year in the Astana oblast and the city as pilot project.2

    Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has refused the proposal made by the parliament to hold a referendum on amendments in the republican Constitution over a probable extension of the term of the incumbent president without the general elections until 2020. The republican Central Election Commission registered an application of the initiative group to hold a referendum on December 27, 2010.3

    The Kyrgyzstan’s Defense Minister has announced that Bishkek and Moscow are moving closer to the establishment of a new Russian military facility in Kyrgyzstan, having settled issues regarding agreement on setting up a united Russian military base, on conditions and status of Russian military servicemen on the territory of Kyrgyzstan. Russia already has four military facilities in the country, including an airbase in Kant, two seismic facilities to monitor global nuclear tests in the Jalalabad and Issyk-Kul regions and a naval research and training center near Lake Issyk-Kul.4

    Kyrgyz Parliament is expected to pass the law to name a mountain after Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, which is in Chuy province standing 4,446m (14,586ft) tall. This initiative has been interpreted as either a way of expressing gratitude to the Russian authorities for removing tax payments for Russian fuel exports or as a sign of a greater orientation towards Russia on the part of the newly-approved Kyrgyz government.5

    Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Omurbek Babanov visited Azerbaijan capital Baku and discussed bilateral relations with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade. He also opened the Kyrgyz Embassy in Azerbaijan at capital Baku. Babanov and Azerbaijani Prime Minister discussed the issues of grant aid from the Azerbaijani side, developing bilateral relations, including intensifying bilateral trade, preferential delivery of lubricants to the Kyrgyz Republic, mutual drawing investments, rapid ratifying the agreements on avoidance of double taxation between the two countries.6

    Meanwhile, a forecast on global growth by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the world’s leading economic and business analysis and forecasting resource, said Uzbekistan’s economy will grow by 7.9 percent in 2011.7 It ranks seventh after Qatar, Ghana, Mongolia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, China and India. Tashkent forecasted its GDP growth rate at 8.3% this year, which had expanded by 8.5 percent in 2010 the Uzbekistan Daily news website reported on Wednesday.8

    Reports noted that Uzbekistan has recently launched a project on good governance for parliamentarians to identify areas where the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) can adopt international standards.9

    Tajikistan has reached a gas import agreement with Uzbekistan that will see it getting a discount for the first quarter of 2011 and paying far less than Europe for natural gas supplies. It will pay Uzbekistan $262 per 1,000 cubic meters (cm) of gas next year after the first quarter. The country will pay $227.85 per 1,000 cm for the first three months of 2011.10

    In an address to the Turkmen people, Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov applauded increased cooperation with Iran due to the 180 major industrial projects undertaken by Ashgabad in 2010. This includes the second phase of a $1.2 billion natural gas pipeline to Iran inaugurated in November 2010. The pipeline is also vital to Turkmen government’s energy export strategy. The landlocked republic is eager to build energy export routes to supply growing demand in Europe, South Asia and the Far East.11

    In other developments in the region, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso will visit Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan next week. Barroso along with a delegation of EU officials will hold talks with leaders of the visiting countries aimed at securing gas supplies for its planned Nabucco pipeline. EU wants to diversify its energy sources away from Russia as it is totally dependent on Russian gas.12

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