News Roundup

News Roundup - May 22, 2008

By SRI ⋅ May 22, 2008 ⋅

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energy:

Kazakhstan lowers oil production forecast for 2008

(AP/International Herald Tribune) - Kazakhstan’s Economics Minister said Wednesday the government has lowered this year’s oil output forecast to 67.6 million tons.

BMB Munai, Inc. fills vacancies on board of directors and appoints interim chief financial officer (PR Newswire/Yahoo! Finance)

Caspian energy hub announces affiliation with three world class technical institutes (Al Bawaba)

business and economy:

Basic problem for investors in Kazakhstan is corruption - head of ABN AMRO Bank Kazakhstan

(Kazakhstan Today/Gazeta.kz) - Basic problem for investors in Kazakhstan is corruption, said yesterday head of ABN AMRO Bank Kazakhstan Jurgen Rigterink during the international conference “Corporate finances 2008.”

Air Astana appoints GSA for Hong Kong and Macau (Travel Daily News)

Aspan Telecom launched first wireless broadband WiMax in Almaty (Interfax)

Kazkommertsbank and KEIC sign co-operation agreement (Banking Business Review)

National Bank of Kazakhstan: Exchange rates May 22, 2008 (Kazinform)

Kazakhstan Development Bank’s new projects (Kazinform)

Indicators - May 21, 2008

(Reuters) - Kazakhstan’s economic indicators based on data provided by the State Statistics Agency, government institutions, the central bank and exchanges.

politics:

Kazakhstan: Review or chance to get out of the political crisis?

(Ferghana.ru/Turkish Weekly) - While it appears that the Kazakhstan political leadership has recreated Soviet traditions and institutions, political realities might prove slightly different. For opposition political forces, deprived of representation in the parliament, have joined together to form an alternative legislature.

Medvedev heads to Kazakhstan to talk energy

(Russia Today) - Dmitry Medvedev will look to cement Russia’s close relationship with Kazakhstan during his first trip abroad as President, which starts on Thursday. Energy is expected to dominate talks between Medvedev and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Medvedev’s looks East, not West, on first foreign visit

(RFE/RL) - When Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s plane touches down in Kazakhstan on May 22, he will be sending a message to the European Union and the United States that Russia’s interests lie East as well as West.

Medvedev’s visit to Astana shows Kremlin’s foreign political priorities – Nazarbaev’s advisor (Interfax)

Medvedev is going to Kazakhstan, China to define foreign policy strategy-analyst (Interfax)

Kazakhstan hosts security workshop

(UPI) - The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and Kazakhstan defense officials launched a regional security workshop Tuesday.

Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia will sign a memo of understanding and cooperation in law sphere (Kazakhstan Today/Gazeta.kz)

National Aerospace Association to be created in Kazakhstan (Kazinform)

Almaty akim suggests to increase car tax depending on year of production (Kazakhstan Today/Gazeta.kz)

society:

Radio station says Kazakhstan blocking website

(Reuters) - Prague-based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has accused Kazakhstan of blocking access to its website which it said was deliberate interference in its news reporting.

Health Ministry alarmed with spreading HIV infection

(Interfax) - HIV infection in Kazakhstan has soared by more than 30% year-to-date with a concurrently rising number of patients who contracted HIV in a sexual intercourse, said chief health inspector of Kazakhstan Anatoliy Belonog.

Kazakh President knows roots of food crisis (neweurasia.net)

Kazakh Diaspora to contribute to Kazakh-Kyrgyz coop (Kazinform)

Kazakhstan reinforces border control over enterovirus in China (Kazinform)

regional news:

Azerbaijan can rescue the Odessa-Brody pipeline project

(Eurasia Daily Monitor) - The energy summit in Kyiv, to be attended by heads of state and government from Caspian, Black Sea and Baltic countries on May 22 and 23, is expected to revitalize the Odessa-Brody-Plock-Gdansk pipeline project for Caspian oil.

Iran develops Caspian port

(UPI) - Iran, subject to U.S.-imposed sanctions since 1996, is developing its Bandar-e Anzali Caspian port in a bid to attract Central Asian trade.

Azerbaijan-Turkmen summit marks potentially lucrative thaw in relations

(RFE/RL/EurasiaNet) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared that “all issues have been resolved” with Turkmenistan following his talks in Baku this week with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov.