Turkmenistan
CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: Taliban’s lousy power deals exposed as Uzbekistan pulls plug in deadly cold
Partly thanks to infrastructure projects blown up by the militants while they were trying to turf out the US, Afghanistan dependent on neighbours for 73% of electricity.
Turkmenistan: A kick in the gas
Moscow curries favour, neighbours seek more gas, and Turkmenistan’s colossal methane pollution could power Afghanistan at little cost many times over. Eurasianet’s weekly Turkmenistan briefing.
PANNIER: A very Turkmen coup
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov returns as head of state, albeit with a different title. The word is, son and president Serdar has proved a bad negotiator.
Big freeze that was feared by gas hungry Europe hits Central Asia, Iran
Tales of families sleeping in cars that are warmer than homes as cold front brings sub-zero temperatures not experienced in half a century.
_Cropped_0_1674147113.jpg)
OUTLOOK 2023: Small Stans
The ‘small stans’ will spend another year striving to recalibrate political and economic relations with Russia and China – and other players Turkey, Iran and the West – amid the geopolitical maelstrom triggered by Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Reports say Russia offered Uzbekistan gas deal but wanted Gazprom to take over country’s transmission system
Word of rejected proposal comes as many Uzbeks shiver with no gas amid big winter freeze.
Central Asia’s shorter winters are whittling away glaciers
Glaciers are disappearing around the world. Here’s how it happens in Central Asia.
_1673894332.jpg)
PANNIER: You won’t catch Turkmenistan putting all its eggs in one (Russian) basket
Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov’s visit to Beijing may not have secured more gas sales, but it did serve to reaffirm ties with the country’s only stable major partner.
Turkmenistan: Mister Berdimuhamedov goes to Beijing
In a visit full of symbolism, Turkmenistan’s president won a lucrative promise from Xi Jinping. Eurasianet’s weekly briefing.
NEMETHY: Key economic and financial drivers to watch in 2023
There is an old joke that the role of economic forecasters is to make astrologers look good. Forecasting GDP or inflation for the upcoming year with any degree of accuracy is virtually impossible, but there are some scary signs appearing.
Central Asian rain may be caused by Indian, Chinese pollution
New research suggests that pollution thousands of miles away may be responsible for unusually strong summer downpours in Central Asia.
PANNIER: How Putin may have leant on Turkmenistan to spike gas-for-Europe plan
President Berdimuhamedov may have put Turkish counterpart Erdogan’s nose out of joint by shelving pipeline interconnector proposal.
A middle class emerges in Central Asia
Central Asia is bouncing back from the coronavirus pandemic and after three decades of growth, incomes have risen to a point where a middle class is emerging in the steppe. And nothing says middle class more than a hoover.
Start of a new super cycle – fat and flat for 2023?
The global economy has been through some enormous changes in recent years, leading investors and analysts to believe we are at the start of a new high-inflation, lower-growth super-cycle that could last for as long as a decade.
IMF: Global food prices to remain elevated amid war, costly energy, La Niña.
Interest rate hikes have eased price pressures, but the weather, war and material costs could keep food prices elevated for longer,
Analysts say Turkmenistan told US diplomats ‘it’s not interested’ in Caspian gas-to-Europe connector project, wants major pipeline
Ashgabat said to be signalling that “it won’t get out of bed for anything less”.
IMF: Riding the global debt rollercoaster
Global debt remained above pre-pandemic levels in 2021 even after posting its steepest decline in 70 years, underscoring the challenges for policymakers.
NEMETHY: The case for gold today – again
In April 2021 gold was sitting around a price of $1,700; as of December 10, 2022 it is now approaching $1,800. Relative to just about every other asset class, this is not a bad performance.
Turkmenistan: A shining city in a book of records
Russia is proposing a major reconfiguration of the Central Asian gas market. Eurasianet’s weekly Turkmenistan briefing.
Turkmen women issued ‘Botox bans’ on flying by airport officers running facial recognition software
Move follows criticism authorities have adopted ‘Taliban-style’ restrictions on tight-fitting clothes, dyed hair and beauty accessories such as false nails or eyelashes.
