Energy and Economy

Georgian President Addresses United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili highlighted the development of ties between her country and Asian economies in an address to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific on Monday. The president said on the back of its European Union membership bid, her country was working to develop ties with Asian economies, in particular through free trade agreements and increased cooperation.

Source: Agenda.ge

Sale of Ferghana Oil Refinery LLC announced

UzAssets Investment Company announced an agreement on the sale of the UzAssets’ 100 percent stake in the Ferghana Oil Refinery for US $100 million. The refinery was sold to Sanoat Energetika Guruhi, the largest private oil and gas company in Uzbekistan.

Source: UzDaily

Georgian Prime Minister, IMF Managing Director Discuss Investment and Economic Processes

The investment environment in Georgia, the current economic processes in the country, dynamics of economic recovery in the post-pandemic period and specific measures planned by the Government were discussed on Monday in a meeting between the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

Source: Agenda.ge

Kazakhstan Freezes Cash in Russian Bank Subsidiaries in Compliance with Sanctions

$21.5 million dollars from accounts in Russian bank subsidiaries have been frozen by Kazakhstan. Accounts in subsidiaries of Sberbank, Alfa-Bank, and VTB, all of which are sanctioned Russian entities, have been frozen.

Source: Fergana News Agency

Politics and Security

U.S. Delegation Travels to Central Asia

A high-ranking U.S. delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Ambassador Donald Lu, also includes the National Security Council’s Senior Director for Russia and Central Asia, Eric Green, USAID’s Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Asia, Anjali Kaur, and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Naz El-Khatib. The delegation will go to the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Source: Department of State

Tajikistan Unrest Results in Deaths

Protests in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast turned deadly after police and government forces clashed with protesters. Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry called the causalities the result of an anti-terrorist operation, however residents of the area dispute this and say that the number of deaths is much higher than the official statistics.

Source: RFE/RL

Armenia-Azerbaijan Joint Commission to Meet at Border 'Soon,' EU Says

The first meeting of a joint commission on the demarcation and security of the borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be soon held on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, European Council President Charles Michel said on May 22 in Brussels after talks with the leaders of the two South Caucasus countries.

Source: RFE/RL

Armenian Deputy Prime Minister and the Representative of OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Meet

Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia, Mher Grigoryan, received Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. The regional developments and the ongoing works on the transportation unblocking were discussed. The comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict was also touched upon.

Source: Armenpress

 

(Sources: Agenda, Armenpress, Department of State, Fergana News Agency, RFE/RL, UzDaily)