Country News Digest
Protestors attempted to seize control of the White House in Bishkek on Wednesday. Police repelled the rioters and a small number of people were being treated for injuries. The protest follows the Kyrgyz parliament’s refusal to nationalize the Kumtor gold mine. Three members of Parliament were among those arrested.
Kyrgyzstan
Reuters
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WSJ
The Kazakh government announced this week that U.S. oil firm ConocoPhillips will sell its share in the Kashagan oilfield. ConocoPhillips owns an 8.4% stake in the oilfield. The state-owned KazMunaiGas is interested in purchasing ConocoPhillips’ share in the project. The Kashagan oilfield is considered to be the largest oilfield discovered in the past 40 years and has many international partners.
Kazakhstan
Nasdaq
Articles:
Reuters
Russia and Tajikistan are expected to sign an extension allowing the Russian 201st Mobilized Rifle Division to stay in Tajikistan. The division is the largest deployment abroad for the Russian military which maintains a presence in many of the former Soviet states in Central Asia.
Tajikistan
BusinessWeek
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Seattle Times
Uzbek President Islam Karimov and his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov met last week to discuss joint security measures relating to the region. The discussion focused primarily on Afghanistan and joint approaches the two countries can take to secure regional security after the withdrawl of Western forces from the country.
Uzbekistan
Trend
Articles:
Calgary Herald
The United States has abandoned plans for a peace deal with the Taliban. The US will instead work towards setting the stage for the Afghan government to secure a deal with the Taliban after the withdrawal of American troops in 2014. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated Monday that Western troops may withdraw before the 2014 deadline. Articles: New York Times Yahoo News
Afghanistan
The Iranian rial plummeted to its lowest rate against the dollar in more than two decades this week, sending people into the streets protesting the skyrocketing cost of basic goods. European and US sanctions are largely credited with the rial’s decline, but protesters are placing the blame on the Iranian government.
Iran
CNN
Articles:
CS Monitor
On 27 Sept., Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov addressed the UN General Assembly and stressed the need for an international energy security framework. He called for a draft resolution on the creation of a legal system which takes into account the needs of energy producers, transit nations, and consumers.
Turkmenistan
UN News
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RFE/RL
Chinese aluminum giant, Chalco, has pulled out of a second Mongolian coal deal. The company was unable to win approval from Chinese and overseas authorities.
Mongolia
The Austrialian Sun
Articles:
Reuters