Tashkent, 30 March 2012 — Today in Tashkent LUKOIL Overseas has signed an agreement with a international consortium of banks to raise a loan of up to $500 million on a limited recourse basis. This was done within the framework of implementing the PSA for the Kandym-Khauzak-Shady-Kungrad project in Uzbekistan. The consortium includes Asian Development […]
Archives for March 2012
EUCAIS: Advanced Training for Central Asian Academics via “Electronic Silk Highway”
The Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) and the Centre international de formation européenne (CIFE) hold an official farewell for the first generation of graduates of their Online Master Programme “Studies on the EU and Central Asia in the International System” (EUCAIS). The graduation ceremony will take place at the European Commission`s base in Berlin. IEP […]
Turkmenistan and UN Human Rights Committee: Mutual Frustration
nCa Analysis Ashgabat, 23 March 2012 (nCa) — Turkmenistan appeared before the UN Human Rights Committee in New York, 15-16 March 2012. The purpose was to review the country’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it acceded in 1997. Looking at the questions and their answers, it was obviously […]
Russian firm wins major oil contracts in Iraq
LUKOIL SIGNED CONTRACTS – FOR WEST QURNA-2 FIELD DEVELOPMENT IN IRAQ LUKOIL Mid-East Ltd (West Qurna-2 project operator) signed several major contracts for West Qurna-2 field development in Iraq according to the tender results. The contract with the Samsung Engineering (Korea) sets out 29 months to design 5 well pads with 67 development wells, 5 […]
2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit – Message from Central Asia
nCa Commentary Ashgabat, 22 Mar—The second Nuclear Summit will be held 26-27 March 2012 in Seoul. The first summit took place in April 2010 in Washington DC. The Seoul summit where leaders from 53 countries and 4 international organizations are expected to gather will collectively represent the 80% of global population and 90% of world […]
Nowruz: The soul of Central Asia culture
nCa Commentary Ashgabat, 22 March 2012 (nCa) — The countrywide celebration of Nowruz, the spring festival, started 21 March in Turkmenistan. The main event was held at the foothills of Kopetdag Mountain, some 45 km east of Ashgabat. It was a great privilege for the foreign diplomats and journalists to get invited to this unique […]
We [Don’t] Take Care of Our Own
Ben Tanosborn A generation ago Bruce Springsteen was socio-serenading us with what soon was to become the iconic song, “Born in the USA.” And now, seven presidential elections later, he’ll likely be sending his message with the song, “We Take Care of Our Own.” Although the message in 1984 was inconceivably misconstrued and misappropriated by […]
Challenges and Response
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan It is a day of reckoning for us, to recollect the failings of the past, and to carve-out a new destiny for the nation. No doubt Pakistan has faced serious challenges to its security, mainly due to foreign aggression in the region and our collusion […]
The Regional Perspective: Japan as role model for Central Asia
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 14 March 2012 (nCa) — The Japanese embassy in Turkmenistan hosted Tuesday a solemn and majestic event to mark the first anniversary of the triple disaster that struck Japan in March 2011. Mitsuru Horiguchi, the charge d’affaires of Japan in Ashgabat, said that it was the first time in the history of […]
The Regonal Perspective: Afghan Massacre
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 12 March 2012 (nCa) — In the early hours of Sunday, one or more American soldier(s) left their base in Punjwai, some 35 km west of Kandhar, with the express intention to murder unarmed women and children. The accounts differ. Taliban say it was a group of drunken soldiers, the ISAF says […]
Региональные перспективы: Афганская бойня
Тарик Саиди Ашгабат, 12 марта 2012 (nCa) —В ночь на воскресенье, один или группа американских солдат покинули свои базы в Пунджваи, примерно в 35 км к западу от города Кандагар, с явным намерением убить безоружных женщин и детей. Поступают различные сообщения. Талибан заявляет, что это была группа солдат, находившихся в состоянии опьянения. Союзники утверждают, что […]
International Women’s Day: Prism Effect in Turkmenistan
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 9 March 2012 (nCa) — Matriarchy is well entrenched in the world already but the women are very kind; they don’t shove this fact in our face. It will break our hearts. Take the example of our home where I am a minority of one against my wife and my daughter. They […]
Indian Supreme Court Orders Establishing Indian Water Hegemony
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan India’s Supreme Court on 27 February 2012, ordered the government to implement the2002 project to link major rivers in India ‘in a time-bound manner’. The over $100 billion project will link around 30 rivers, to ensure flood control and equitable distribution of water by efficient […]
Sexual Exploited Girls and Child Soldiers Around the World
Clemente Ferrer Amnesty International has once again launched a campaign under the following slogan: “Child soldier. They will throw him into the front lines, and if he dies, they’ll go to a school and find another; and after that another”. Jean-Charles, Guru missionary in Nord Uganda, has explained that children are kidnapped and turned into […]
Summoning an America of Break-believe
Ben Tanosborn If we don’t come to terms in America to the reality around us, we will be doomed; and not just as an empire-holder, but as a serious major player in any future affairs of planet earth. We need to step down from that land of make-believe, and accept once and for all that […]
The regional perspective: Is this the rush to get in or get out?
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 5 March 2012 (nCa) — Some recent news stories in the American and British media suggest that the US and allied forces are negotiating with the Central Asian countries to ensure exit corridor when they leave Afghanistan in 2014. These stories are superb examples of embedded journalism at its best, regurgitating without […]
Tender notices in Turkmenistan: Rising preference for local currency deals
nCa Report Ashgabat, 5 March 2012 (nCa) — Some tender notices recently published by the print media of Turkmenistan indicate the marked shift for purchases in local currency instead of dollar or Euro. For instance: The state bank for foreign economic relations announced tenders for purchase of a tractor and trailer, and drilling equipment (for […]
UNDP-Turkmenistan partnership rises to new level
Ashgabat, 2 March 2012 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Turkmenistan have agreed on a new format of partnership signaling that the Government of Turkmenistan will be actively financing its own development programmes jointly implemented with UNDP. Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid […]
7 Tips to Make Life a Little Easier as a Caregiver
Dr. Ethelle G. Lord Over 80% of family caregivers are unpaid, home bound, even isolated. These caregivers are overwhelmed with day-to-day responsibilities to someone with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Remembering4You recommends tips that make the work and life of a caregiver a little easier. Keeping it simple maximizes energy and minimizes the possibility […]
The Regional Perspective: Turkmenistan and Turkey
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 2 March 2012 (nCa) — Someone sent me a bad joke the other day: If the world is a global village, Uncle Sam is the village idiot. Bad joke but true nevertheless. And, what do you do if the village idiot also happens to be the village bully? This is the question […]