Energy

Gas Supply in Kyrgyzstan Rises Gas supply in Kyrgyzstan has increased from 22 percent in 2014 to 30 percent in 2018, Tazabek.kg reports referring to the press service of Gazprom Kyrgyzstan LLC. The company announced that over the past 3 years more than 22 billion some have been invested in the gas industry of the country. These funds were used to reconstruct 113 km of the Bukhara-Tashkent-Bishkek-Almaty gas pipeline, the Chui measuring station, a CNG filling station, the gas distribution stations Sokuluk and Bishkek. The press service added that in 16 residential areas of Bishkek, in settlements in Chui and Osh, gas distribution networks, with a length of more than 400 km, were built, conditions were created for gas supply to more than 20,000 homes. Gas Chemical Complex with Chinese Capital to Be Built in Kazakhstan’s Aktau Kazakhstan’s KazAzot JSC and China’s Inner Mongolia Berun Holding Group Co. Ltd, which operates in the fields of the chemical industry, energy, financial services, food processing and logistics, will build a gas chemical complex worth over one trillion tenges in Kazakhstan’s Aktau, the Kazakh media cited deputy head of the local government of Mangystau region Sholpan Ilmukhanbetova. Ilmukhanbetova stressed that this project is planned to be implemented in the second half of this year. “The complex will produce methanol, nitrogen fertilizers and olefins,” she said. KazAzot has already reached an agreement with the Chinese partner on the establishment of a joint venture, which will become the parent company for a number of legal entities. The Kazakh side will have a 39 percent share in the project, while the Chinese side - 61 percent. U.S. Company to Provide Uzbekneftegaz with Oil and Gas Technologies Uzbekneftegaz and Honeywell UOP (U.S.) have reached an agreement on the use of technology of MTO and Separex belonging to the American company at the enterprises of the oil and gas sector of Uzbekistan, Podrobno.uz reported. This is stipulated in the Memorandum of Understanding, under which Honeywell UOP will conduct a pilot industrial test of the Separex gas separating unit at one of the enterprises of Uzbekneftegaz JSC. If positive results are obtained, the issue of introducing this technology into other gas processing facilities of the country will be worked out. Separex membrane systems are used to remove acid gas and water from natural gas. The systems are supplied on a block basis with spirally mounted membrane elements. As the specialists of the manufacturer note, the advantages of these membrane systems, as compared to conventional processes based on solvents, are the improvement of the quality of the processed natural gas, as well as the reduction of capital and operating costs in the gas processing process.

Security

India Strengthens Defense Cooperation with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Kazakhstan this week, where she met with top leaders to strengthen cooperation on bilateral issues. In the area of defense, Swaraj said “Both Foreign Minister Abdrakhmanov and I expressed our interest to further strengthen our defense cooperation based on solid foundation that we have in place.” While en route to Kazakhstan, Swaraj took advantage of a layover and met with her Turkmen counterpart Rashid Meredov. The reportedly had a good exchange of views on a wide range of bilateral issues.” Azerbaijan and Afghanistan Sign Defense Production Cooperation Protocol Azeri Deputy Minister of Defense Industry Yahya Musayev and members of an Afghan delegation signed a protocol on cooperation in defense production in Baku on August 1^st. The Afghan delegation also visited several production facilities and discussed cooperation in other areas of mutual interest. Just days before, Azeri and Vietnamese naval representatives also met in Baku to discuss potential military cooperation. Azerbaijan Opens New Air Force Unit Azeri Minister of Defense Colonel General Zakir Hasanov concluded the opening ceremony of a new air force unit in Azerbaijan’s frontline zone on Sunday. One of Azerbaijan’s goals is to increase combat readiness and improve social conditions of air force personnel. As part of that goal, the minister gave specific instructions on increased combat training to the unit’s command staff. Turkmenistan Declares August 12th Caspian Sea Day Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a resolution making August 12^th Caspian Sea Day. The holiday will be celebrated with scientific and practical conferences, sports and cultural events, competitions for children. The celebration will coincide with the meeting in Aktau, Kazakhstan, where leaders from Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Russia are expected to a sign a convention deciding the legal status of the Caspian Sea.

Economy

Billions Allocated for Rail Development in Uzbekistan Over $8 billion was allocated for the development of rail transport communications and infrastructure of Uzbekistan, including $2.6 billion of foreign investments. This is stated in the congratulation letter of the Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the staff of the Uzbek railway company Uzbekiston Temir Yullari. The head of the state noted that 1.5 billion tons of cargo and 370 million passengers were transported by rail from the day of formation of the joint-stock company, while the volume of cargo transportation increased by 2.1 times, and passengers – by 2 times. All this shows the scope of the work done. To date, more than 60 percent of cargo and more than 75 percent of passengers are transported by rail in the country. It shows how important is the role of this sphere in the development of the economy, the Uzbek leader stressed. Uzbekistan, Afghanistan to Ensure Mutual Transit of Goods An agreement between the governments of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan on the mutual provision of a transit of goods through the territory of the two countries came into force, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a message on August 4. The agreement was signed on December 5, 2017, during the official visit of the President of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani to Uzbekistan. The document creates legal bases for the interaction of the parties on the simplification of formalities and definition of mechanisms of cargoes transit through territories of two countries. According to the provisions of this agreement, the sides mutually grant each other the right to transit goods through the territories of their states and also carry out preliminary coordination of the volumes of transit cargo by rail. (Sources: Azer News, Bourse and Bazaar, Defence.az, the Economic Times, Natural Gas Work, NK News, Reuters, TASS, Times of India, trend.az, and Риа Новости.)