News Roundup - September 6, 2007 (Part 2)

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: Premier Warns Eni About Failures At Caspian Oil Field
Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov today warned the Eni-led consortium operating the Kashagan oil project that delays and cost overruns are taking on a “systematic character” and that the government is having doubts about the ability of the consortium to complete the project…
MarketWatch: Eni Is Willing to Examine All Issues at Kashagan Oil Field

Italy’s Eni SpA said Thursday it’s willing to examine all issues at the Kashagan project as negotiations between the consortium developing the oil field and Kazakh authorities continue to settle a dispute…

Forbes: PM: Kazmunaigas Should Join Oil Project

Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Karim Masimov suggested Thursday that the state-run energy company Kazmunaigas should take a major role in a troubled foreign-led project to develop the massive Kashagan oil field…

Financial Times: Kazakhstan Seeks Bigger Role in Kashagan Oil Field

Kazakhstan on Thursday demanded greater control over the giant Kashagan oilfield in the Caspian Sea on Thursday, complaining that inadequate management of the project by a foreign consortium led by Italy’s Eni had damaged the Central Asian republic’s economy and reputation as a reliable global energy supplier…

CACI Analyst: Kazakhstan’s Emerging Security Ties With China

Security Relations between Kazakhstan and China, though traditionally low-key and not widely publicized, have been growing steadily. Given the enhanced security cooperation within the SCO to combat terrorism, as witnessed in the highly publicized SCO ‘Peace Mission 2007’ antiterrorist exercises in China and Russia August 9-17, 2007, combined with China’s evolving energy interests in Kazakhstan, both countries appear set to enhance their military cooperation…

CACI Analyst: Kazakhstan’s Political Prospects Look Grim After Parliamentary Elections

The outcome of parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan held on August 18 surpassed the pro-presidential forces’ most optimistic expectations of and discouraged other contenders for parliament seats…

Reuters: EU confident of solution over Kazakhstan oilfield
The European Union’s executive arm is confident there will be a negotiated solution between Kazakhstan and Western oil companies over a row concerning an oilfield, the European Commission said on Thursday…
Journal of Turkish Weekly: The Rising Star of Central Asia: Kazakhstan
After the collapse of Soviet Union, new countries have emerged in a geography that extends from the Baltic region in the west, through the Pacific Ocean in the East. This region can be called as land of unknowns due to its isolated structure during the times of USSR. After the independence of these countries, new opportunities with new problems also appeared and this issue was widely discussed during 1990s both in intellectual and political circles…
EurasiaNet Civil Society: Moving Forward with Plan to Replace Cyrillic with Latin Alphabet
Even as Kazakhstan maintains close economic and political ties with Russia, Astana is moving ahead with plans to replace Cyrillic script with the Latin alphabet. A feasibility study prepared over the summer proposes that the alphabet change be phased in over a 12-to-15-year period…

News Roundup - September 6, 2007

EurasiaNet: Oil Consortium Wrangles with Government Officials Over Kashagan Oil Field
There is trouble is Central Asia’s energy paradise. Italian energy company Eni SpA is locked in a dispute with the Kazakhstani government over the development of the Kashagan oilfield. Astana is reportedly seeking at least $10 billion in compensation for production delays and cost overruns, as well as alter terms of a production-sharing agreement…
The Moscow Times: Operator Awaits Kashagan Statement
The Kazakh government will make a statement on the future of the Eni-led Kashagan oil field Thursday, Prime Minister Karim Masimov said as a deadline for the Italian company to make a proposal to pay compensation expired…
Hemscott: BG Says Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak Project on Time, Within Budget
BG Group PLC has assured the 8 bln usd Karachaganak gas project in Kazakhstan remains on course with plans and within budget, a BG spokeswoman said…
Forbes: CTC Media Buys Stake in Kazakhstan Firm
CTC Media Inc., a Russian television broadcaster, said Tuesday it agreed to buy a stake in Kazakhstan broadcaster Channel 31 Group for $65 million in cash…
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: Writer Charged For ‘Insulting, Hateful’ E-Mails
Nurlan Alimbekov, a self-described philosopher and political analyst in Kazakhstan, is facing criminal charges that include inciting religious and ethnic hatred for e-mails he sent and received…
Hotnews.ro: Kazakhstan Analysts: Rompetrol Was Too Expensive
Analysts argue that KazMunaiGaz purchased the 75% shares of the Romanian Rompetrol company at a too expensive price. The paid price, 2.7 billion USD is exaggerated, the Kazakh “Business&Power” magazine reads on Tuesday…