January 22, 2010

Politics:
President of Uzbekistan appoints senators
Economics:
Uzbek-South Korean investment cooperation expanding
Uzbek-Iranian Intergovermental Commission Holds Sitting
Kosonsoy Toqimachi expands production
Society:
Forum Focuses on Ecological Culture
Special Department of Tuition by Correspondence

POLICY

PRESIDENT OF UZBEKISTAN APPOINTS SENATORS

President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov signed a decree on appointing 16 members of the Senate (upper house) of the Oliy Majlis (parliament) on 22 January. Below is the list of the senators.

Farmanov Alexander Kasymovich – chairman of board, director-general of Almalyk mining and smelting combine;

Sanaqulov Kuvandik – director-general of Navoi mining and smelting combine;

Tyan Valeriy Nikolayevich – director-general of “O`zbekiston Havo Yo`llari” National Air Company;

Tursunbayev Yulchiboy Egrashevich – judge of the Constitutional Court of Uzbekistan;

Muhamedov Gafurjan Israilovich – rector of the National University of Uzbekistan;

Rtveladze Edvard Vasilyevich – head of department of the Arts Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan;

Akbarova Farida Sharahimovna – Vice Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, chairman of the Women’s Committee;

Ahmedov Anvar Akmalovich – chairman of the “Mahalla” Fund;

Salikhov Shavkat Ismailovich – president of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan;

Usmanov Mirabror Zufarovich – member of the Senate working on a permanent basis;

Bakibayev Erkin Jurayevich – chairman of the central council of the veterans support fund “Nuroniy”;

Safayev Sadik Salikhovich – chairman of the foreign policy issues committee of the Senate;

Rahmonkulov Mir-Akbar Hoji-Akbarovich – First Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council under the President of Uzbekistan;

Artikova Svetlana Baymirzayevna – head of legal information department of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Uzbekistan;

Mirzaaliyev Iqboljon Mirzakarimovich (Iqbol Mirzo) – deputy chairman for work with youth of the Writers Union of Uzbekistan;

Abdullayev Ihtiyor Bahtiyorovich – State Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan. (Source: National News Agency UzA)

ECONOMY

UZBEK-SOUTH KOREAN INVESTMENT COOPERATION EXPANDING

The seminar of the joint consultative program for development of the free industrial-economic zone Navoi was held in Tashkent on 20 January.

The event was organized by the Ministry of foreign economic relations, investments and trade jointly with the Ministry of strategy and finance of South Korea, Korean Development Institute and Korean Institute for International Economic Policy.

South Korea is one of the largest investment partners of Uzbekistan. The total volume of investments invested by this country in Uzbekistan has exceeded USD 2 billion.

At the conference on Navoi free economic zone held in March 2009 in Seoul, about 40 agreements on creation of joint ventures were signed between the two countries. They will operate in oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, light industries, machinery building, mining, construction, furniture production, etc.

President Islam Karimov signed a decree on creation of Navoi free economic zone in December 2008. The move is aimed at Increasing the industrial potential of Navoi region, development of transport and social infrastructure, production of high technologies and attraction of foreign investments.

To date, 19 agreements on creation of industrial enterprises in Navoi economic zone worth USD 187 million was signed. After their launch, they will annually produce goods worth USD 375.5 million, lamost half of which will be exported.

This year, launch of 50 projects is expected in Navoi free economic zone. (Source: National News Agency UzA)


UZBEK-IRANIAN INTERGOVERMENTAL COMMISSION HOLDS SITTING

On January 17-18 this year the Tenth meeting of the Uzbek-Iranian intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation was held in the city of Tehran, according to the Press-Service of Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Elyor Ganiev has led the Uzbek delegation and the Minister of Trade of Iran Mehdi Gazanfari - the Iranian delegation.

During the talks the sides discussed the state and prospects of the Uzbek-Iranian relations on trade, economic, scientific and technical spheres. In particular, they have considered the opportunities of increasing commodity circulation between the two countries, further development of cooperation in the sphere of transport and communication, first of all, providing for active and mutually beneficial use of transit facilities of the two countries.

The negotiations resulted in signing the Protocol of the tenth meeting of intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The sides have agreed to hold the next Eleventh meeting of intergovernmental commission in 2011 in the city of Tashkent. (Source: Jahon Information Agency)

KOSONSOY TOQIMACHI EXPANDS PRODUCTION

The Anti-crisis program, developed in Uzbekistan on the initiative of the President, has served as an important factor in ensuring economic stability in the country and increasing the volume of production of competitive goods.

After the bankruptcy, joint venture Kosonqoy-Tekmen in Namangan region was reorganized into Kosonsoy Toqimachi LLC, wich support of the National Bank of Uzbekistan and Uzbekinvest national insurance company.

Thanks to the investments worth UZS 210 million, the technological line and other equipment of the enterprise were renewed.

Today the company produces import-substituting products like woolen and half-woolen items, as well as yarn.

These products are supplied to local enterprises manufacturing ready products, including RAU-Tom joint venture in Pap district and carpet factories in Margilan.

“We use only local raw materials in our production,” company chairman Akbar Mamadaliyev told UzA. “Wool is supplied by Tashkent companies, while synthetic materials by Navoiazot company.”

Kosonqoy Toqimachi currently employs 165 people. In the last six months, the company produced goods worth UZS 460.5 million. (Source: National News Agency UzA)

SOCIETY

FORUM FOCUSES ON ECOLOGICAL CULTURE

The forum High Ecological Culture is Guarantee for Successful Development took place in Tashkent.

The event was organized by the State Committee of for Nature Protection the Republic of Uzbekistan. It was dedicated to the discussion of ecological problems, enhancement of knowledge and ecological culture in the country’s population and strengthening of cooperation between different organizations dealing with ecology.

It was noted that the country experiences a large-scale activity on intensification of public involvement into the events aiming at the provision of stabilization of the ecological situation and environmental protection and cultivation of ecological culture in youth.

The establishment of the Ecology Movement of Uzbekistan as well as election of 15 deputies of this movement to the parliament has become a practical display of the concern about ecology problems.

Specialists emphasized that the country decreases the number of harmful emissions year after year, enterprises install equipment that meet contemporary ecological requirements. (Source: Uzbekistan Today newspaper)

SPECIAL DEPARTMENT OF TUITION BY CORRESPONDENCE

The special correspondence department of Tashkent Chemical Engineering Institute (TCEI) – one of the unique higher education institutions in Uzbekistan – celebrates its fifth anniversary. It was founded at Qo’ng’irot Soda Plant in Karakalpakstan, forty kilometers from the nearest settlement. It is designed to train specialists for this enterprise.

The first admission of students to this department took place in 2005, a year before the production was launched at the plant. In order to attract promising young people to the new enterprise, admission was announced to not only the first year of study from among the graduates of related professional colleges, but also for second and third-level of study. They invited students from other universities of Uzbekistan studying related or similar disciplines to transfer to senior levels of the institute. Young people came from districts of Karakalpakstan, but they also included those from Andijon, Bukhoro, Samarqand, Namangan and Farg’ona regions.

At present, almost all first graduates of this special institute are the leading staff of Qo’ng’irot Soda Plant. Much thanks to their diligence, they manage to ensure the gradual and secure development of the new and unique enterprise in the entire Central Asia. The plant provides glass factories with soda ash, a key raw material. It also exports its production to neighboring nations.

Today the special correspondence department of Tashkent Chemical Engineering Institute continues to train young specialists in certain areas. The learning process in this institute is unique by its in-service training. It should be noted that this full-fledged integration of learning process is one of major trends in advanced training in all institutes and universities of the country.

“I have devoted many years of my professional activity to Tashkent Chemical Engineering Institute,” comments Qobiljon Mukhammedov, dean of the special correspondence department. “However, it is only Qo’ng’irot where I observe so high an integration of production and learning that promotes higher quality in education. Our classes are largely aimed at students’ profound learning of theory of production process at Qo’ng’irot Soda Plant, and their advanced training. Not all institute teachers do pass such an ‘exam’. Therefore we have a specific, strict selection process of pedagogical personnel. We invite the best specialists from Karakalpakstan State University and Tashkent Technical University, and Chemical Engineering Institute.”

MA course at the department started functioning three years ago. Only ten people were admitted for undergraduate studies in 2007. However, admission quota was raised to 25 students for undergraduate programs last year. Tutors and students of the institute take an active part in the scientific solution of tasks on production development. (Source: Uzbekistan Today newspaper)