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The Regions This Week
March 29, 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 7
Eurasia
Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed agreements worth $10bn on cooperation in investment and finance, industry and infrastructure development, renewable energy, agriculture and other spheres, Uzbekistan's presidential website said in a statement. The two sides also agreed to broaden trade and economic ties as well as strengthen cooperation in science, technologies, and education.
A Kazakh military helicopter on a training flight crashed killing all 13 crew members, Kazakhstan's defence ministry said in a statement. Interim President Kasym Zhomart- Tokayev has ordered a probe into the reasons behind the crash.
Dozens of holidaymakers and cars were caught in a flash flood in the Iranian southern city of Shiraz, with many washed away. Eleven people were confirmed dead and 35 were injured.
A huge fire broke out in a shopping mall in the Azerbaijani capital Baku's Nizami district. Azerbaijan's emergency situations ministry said employees of the Diglas trade centre were evacuated. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.
Credit ratings agency S&P Global said it expects a smooth transition of power in Kazakhstan following the resignation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. At the same time, S&P added that there “some succession risks” since Nazarbayev will retain some key positions in the country, giving him significant influence on areas ranging from national security to foreign policy.
Georgia has made a lot of progress with important reforms and will eventually join Nato “despite the Kremlin's fierce opposition”, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference. At a 2008 summit in Bucharest, Nato agreed that Georgia would eventually
become a member of the defence bloc, but no firm date has ever been set.
The US lifted its ban on Uzbek cotton and products made from Uzbek cotton. The ban was imposed in 2010 due to concerns over child labour, but in the past two years, Uzbekistan has taken significant steps towards abolishing the labour practices which campaigners and the major brands want to see ended.
Armenia is experiencing a revival in the construction and real estate sectors and is
on the brink of a new boom, Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian said. Pashinian attributed developments so far to increased confidence of Armenians in their future in the country following the velvet revolution of 2018.
The World Bank’s International Development Association will provide a $24mn grant to finance better local infrastructure for approximately 200,000 citizens in rural Tajikistan as part of
the CASA-1000 Community Support Project for Tajikistan (CASA-1000 CSP).
Turkey is reportedly planning to raise its imports of Iranian natural gas despite the US sanctions regime aimed at Tehran and countries and businesses that continue to do business with the Iranians. Nato member Turkey has no substantial hydrocarbon reserves of its own, making it dependent on imports for almost all of its energy needs. Iran, next door, sits on the world’s second largest gas reserves and fourth largest oil reserves.
A fire broke out at the onshore Kalamkas oilfield in Kazakhstan's western Mangistau province, the country's emergencies committee said. However, Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev told reporters that the fire will have no impact on the country’s oil output.