Syrian President al-Sharaa makes landmark Visa payment as country reconnects with global financial system
A restaurant payment with a Visa card in Damascus has become a symbol of Syria’s reconnection with the global financial system....
Tajikistan tripled fuel imports from neighbouring Central Asian countries in July after deliveries from Russia declined sharply, underscoring how disruptions to Russian exports are prompting governments across the region to seek alternative suppliers.
Tajikistan imported around 34,000 tonnes of fuel from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in July, nearly three times the volume recorded a month earlier according to Reuters. The increase followed a sharp reduction in Russian supplies as Moscow grapples with fuel shortages linked to Ukrainian drone strikes on its energy infrastructure.
Sources cited by Reuters said Russian petrol shipments to Tajikistan fell by half in July compared with June, dropping to 14,000 tonnes. Diesel deliveries declined by 2 per cent to 30,000 tonnes, while aviation fuel supplies ceased altogether.
The shortfall was largely offset by increased imports from regional suppliers. Petrol imports from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan rose from 8,400 tonnes in June to 13,800 tonnes in July. Diesel imports surged from 2,400 tonnes to 17,600 tonnes over the same period, while aviation fuel deliveries increased from just 316 tonnes to 2,500 tonnes.
The shift highlights Tajikistan’s efforts to diversify its fuel supply as disruptions to Russian exports continue. The country's Ministry of Transport confirmed on 6 August that the government was seeking alternative fuel sources, identifying Kazakhstan as its preferred supplier.
Negotiations are also underway with China, Turkmenistan, Iran and Belarus. The ministry said the shortages were linked to military operations in the Middle East.
Earlier in July, Energy and Water Resources Minister Daler Juma said the government had already begun discussions with several countries to secure additional fuel supplies and stabilise the domestic market.
The disruption has already affected consumers. The price of AI-92 petrol rose to around $1.10-1.15 per litre in early August, up from approximately $1.00-1.03 at the beginning of June. Diesel prices climbed to between $1.47 and $1.70 per litre.
Tajikistan is not the only country facing the consequences of declining Russian fuel exports. Kyrgyzstan has asked Uzbekistan to supply 20,000 tonnes of fuel per month while continuing negotiations with Belarus, China, Azerbaijan and Turkiye over additional imports.
Meanwhile, Mongolia, which relies on Russia for around 95 per cent of its fuel imports, has introduced strict limits on petrol sales to motorists.
Oil prices fell after the U.S. expanded economic sanctions on Iran, as Tehran vowed to retaliate and warned it had tools to respond, raising concerns over potential disruption to regional oil supplies.
Rescuers in Nepal used helicopters on Thursday to scour for hundreds still missing after a wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border with China's Tibet, sending catastrophic floods through towns and valleys, killing 162 people.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time being”, Axios reports. Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have resumed talks on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Kyiv has recently received a small number of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. It comes as Britain and France pledged stronger military support for Ukraine.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for greater economic cooperation among Muslim countries, saying their combined economic weight remains disproportionately small compared with their population, strategic location and resources.
The inaugural Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum brought together policymakers, investors and technology companies as Central Asia looks to build a more connected financial system and compete for a bigger share of global fintech investment.
Uzbekistan's region of Karakalpakstan is developing three cryptocurrency mining facilities and three data centers with a combined investment of $5.1 billion, as the region seeks to attract larger and higher-quality investments.
A restaurant payment with a Visa card in Damascus has become a symbol of Syria’s reconnection with the global financial system.
The Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum will bring more than 6,000 policymakers, investors and technology leaders from 74 countries to Tashkent, as Central Asia seeks a bigger role in the global fintech landscape.
Kazakhstan is considering the Baku-Supsa pipeline as an alternative oil export route after Caspian Pipeline Consortium disruptions cost the country an estimated 3.5 million tonnes of oil, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment