2 May, 2006

Politics
President of Uzbekistan to visit Pakistan on 2-3 May
Uzbekistan, Pakistan to ink several pacts
Uzbek president speaks on aim of Pakistani visit
President Islam Karimov arrives in Pakistan
Uzbek leader's visit to Pakistan to boost ties - Pakistan envoy
Uzbek president resolves to boost football in the country
President shifts working day from Monday to Saturday

Business
India's GAIL to set up LPG plants in Uzbekistan
Foreign tourists visit Khorezm region

Society
Fifth conference of German language teachers being held in Tashkent
Korean chair opens in Uzbek university
"Automobile World Princess" wins Matiz

Politics

PRESIDENT OF UZBEKISTAN TO VISIT PAKISTAN ON 2-3 MAY

President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov will pay an official visit to Pakistan on 2-3 May on the invitation of President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf.

During the visit, the heads of two states are expected to discuss deepening Uzbek-Pakistani relations, development of trade and economic cooperation, and ties in other spheres. Important regional and international problems of mutual interest will also be discussed. A number of bilateral agreements will be signed during the visit.

UZBEKISTAN, PAKISTAN TO INK SEVERAL PACTS

Uzbekistan and Pakistan will sign several agreements on increasing trade, investment and agriculture during the Uzbek President Islam Karimov's visit to Pakistan, which is starting on 2 May, the Foreign Office of Pakistan said on Monday.

A Foreign Ministry statement said that President Pervez Musharraf and his Uzbek counterpart would witness the signing ceremony after formal talks.

"Karimov will also meet Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz," it said, adding that the Uzbek president would be accompanied by ministers for foreign affairs, justice, finance and foreign trade and the head of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan.

Karimov's visit offers the opportunity to reinforce existing ties between Pakistan and Uzbekistan, said the ministry's statement.

UZBEK PRESIDENT SPEAKS ON AIM OF PAKISTANI VISIT

President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov said at Tashkent airport before departure to Pakistan talks will mainly focus on three issues.

Uzbek leader said: "Above all, it is maintaining stability and security. You know that our region - Central Asia - and South Asia, are of great interest in the world. If we want to protect in a comprehensive way our country where our children and the future generation will live, if we want to protect our country for ourselves, for the sake of our interests and for our happiness, then, I would like to repeat, we should be vigilant. It is in the interests of all the countries in the region, including Uzbekistan and Pakistan."

That is why our priority goal is to ensure security in a comprehensive way, President Karimov said.

"The second issue has to do with events in Afghanistan. We have to discuss neighboring countries' contributions to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. We should agree on mobilizing our countries' potential for this purpose. This is the second issue."

Uzbek head said: "We also have to improve our economic relations. We can't describe our current economic relations as satisfactory. I would like to repeat Pakistan has a great economic potential. It is a rich country. It will be very safe to say that it very much wants to be close to our country. We are also in favour of improving relations with Pakistan, of expanding economic relations with that country, of setting up markets, of bringing their goods to our country and taking our goods there. That is why the two issues are: the trade and economic issue and mutual investment; and, of course, the issue of improving ties in culture and education. There is great untapped potential in this field."

PRESIDENT ISLAM KARIMOV ARRIVES IN PAKISTAN

The airport and the streets of Islamabad are decorated with flags of two states, as well as posters in Uzbek and English languages.

Islam Karimov lodged in " Siren " Hotel. Within two days this place will serve as a residence for Uzbek leader.

Speaking at the Tashkent airport before departure, President Karimov said Pakistan is one of the largest Southern Asian states, which possesses huge economic, political and military-technical potential. He said Pakistan participates actively in adoption of decisions on international issues.

Uzbek leader said both Central Asia and Southern Asia have important geopolitical significance. He said the special attention is paid to ensuring stability and security in the regions.

Without peace and stability, it is impossible to achieve economic development, Karimov said. He said these issues would be discussed along with participation of Uzbekistan and Pakistan in rehabilitation of Afghanistan.

Uzbek president stressed that without stability in Afghanistan it is difficult to achieve progress in the region.

President Karimov said that current trade-economic cooperation of Uzbekistan and Pakistan is not in proper level. He said it is necessary to develop cooperation in this direction, including in transport and communication.

Islam Karimov said Pakistan has access to Indian Ocean and this has important significance for development of Uzbek economy.

UZBEK LEADER'S VISIT TO PAKISTAN TO BOOST TIES – PAKISTAN ENVOY

"We look to the future with confidence," the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Uzbekistan, Sajjad Kamran, told a correspondent of the Uzbek Jahon news agency of Uzbek Foreign Ministry.

Sajjad Kamran said in his interview that Islamabad and Tashkent started to actively develop their mutual friendship relations from the day Uzbekistan gained its independence.

"Our cooperation is not only limited to the trade and economic spheres. Pakistan has been organizing courses for Uzbek specialists in banking, forestry, agriculture, accounting, tax, postal service, construction technology, English learning and other spheres. Most of these courses are financed by a Pakistani technical aid programme. Currently, it is planned to further expand this programme," envoy said.

Kamran said: "We should honestly admit that our cooperation in the various spheres do not match our existing potential. One of the factors that hinders the realization of this potential is the situation in Afghanistan, which is located between Uzbekistan and Pakistan. In spite of the close geographical location, a lack of direct ground communications has a negative effect on bilateral cooperation between the two countries."

Therefore, revival of peace and stabilization in Afghanistan is very important not only for bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and Pakistan but for the whole of Central Asia, he said.

"We have great opportunities and they should be seized. Cooperation in countering terrorism is also paramount."

"We are confident that the Uzbek president's visit to Pakistan will serve to open new prospects for our cooperation and to raise it to a new level," envoy noted.

UZBEK PRESIDENT RESOLVES TO BOOST FOOTBALL IN THE COUNTRY

President of Uzbekistan signed a resolution to boost football in the country. The resolution was made public on 1 May.

The documents notes the Uzbek teams and clubs achieved success in international arena and underlines lacks in improvement of prestige of Uzbek national league and training of football players.

The resolution envisages measures to support and create favourable conditions for development of football, strengthen material-technical base of clubs, bring up stadiums in accordance with FIFA requirements, transfer Uzbek Football Federation and football clubs to self-financing and self-repayment.

The document also stipulates preparation of skilled football players, who will represent Uzbekistan in World Cup and Asian tournament with dignity.

The resolution approved suggestion of Uzbek Football Federation and Culture and Sport Ministry of Uzbekistan to reorganise existing clubs to professional clubs of various forms of property.

The document obliged professional clubs to have their children football schools to train reserve. The resolution also entrusted to create National Coaches and Referees Schools, as well as branch of Russian Coaches High School in Tashkent.

Uzbek leader resolved to create Fund on Support of Football in Uzbekistan with branches in Karakalpakstan, regions and Tashkent city.

New fund will be created in participation of Uzbek Culture and Sport Ministry, Uzbekistan Football Federation, National Olympic Committee, professional football clubs. The fund should support development of football in all levels and create professional clubs, as well as strengthen their material base.

The fund was entrusted to create system to material stimulation and encouragement of young players and create new reserve of players.

President Karimov entrusted Uzbek authorities to submit suggestion on transfer 49% of shares of Pakhtakor OJSC to Football Club Pakhtakor JV. In its turn Football Club Pakhtakor should undertake concrete investment obligations to reconstruct and repair stadium and other sport establishments of complex.

The document granted professional football clubs, Uzbek Football Federation and its territorial branches from customs duties for import of equipment and materials, required to reconstruct stadiums and strengthen material base of clubs, for three years. The resolution also provided tax holidays to clubs, except single social payment, for three-years and freed funds should be used to development of football.

PRESIDENT SHIFTS WORKING DAY FROM MONDAY TO SATURDAY

President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov signed a resolution "On shifting the working day from Monday, 8 May 2006 to Saturday, 6 May 2006".

The document said the move is connected with Day of Memory and Honour, marked on 9 May, and with a aim of creation of favourable conditions for workers and rational use of working hours.

ECONOMICS

INDIA'S GAIL TO SET UP LPG PLANTS IN UZBEKISTAN

The state-owned gas transmission and marketing company GAIL (India) Ltd is to set up liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plants in Uzbekistan.

The LPG plants with a capacity of 0.1 million tonnes per annum (MMTPA) each will be set up in western parts of Uzbekistan along with Uzbekneftegaz, a national gas major of that country, a senior GAIL executive said. The estimated capital investment in each LPG plant was in the range of $50-60 million, the executive told Business Line.

The number of plants to be set up was yet to be worked out, he said, adding that these multiple gas-based LPG plants would cater mainly to the domestic market of Uzbekistan. During the recent visit of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to Uzbekistan, GAIL and Uzbekneftegaz signed a memorandum of co-operation agreement. Under the agreement, the two companies would jointly pursue gas sector projects covering exploration and production, gas processing, production of petrochemicals as well as training and research & development. GAIL and Uzbekneftegaz had held preliminary discussions in early March on these specific project opportunities the executive said adding that with the signing of the agreement a joint working group (JWG) will be set up.

A detailed discussion for setting up of LPG plants was expected during the first meeting of the JWG to be held shortly. Uzbekneftegaz would also provide details of the specific project opportunities in E&P in Uzbekistan during this meeting. Preliminary discussions on E&P opportunities have already been held between the two companies. UzbekNefteGaz is the state-owned holding company formed in 1998 when the Government of Uzbekistan merged nine companies in the oil and gas sector, Business Line reported.

A natural gas major, the other key business operations of this company are gas processing, petrochemicals, refining, pipelines and marketing of hydrocarbon products.

It has total pipelines network of more than 13,000 km. As a holding company, UNG has a number of foreign collaborators such as Gazprom & Lukoil (Russia), Kellogg, BSI & ABB Lummus Global (USA), Nova Chemicals (Canada), Toyo, Mitsui, Marubeni & Nisho Ivai (Japan), Technip (France), That-xa & Dunshen (China), and Petronas (Malaysia).

FOREIGN TOURISTS VISIT KHOREZM REGION

Number of foreign tourists, visiting Khorezm region, is increasing, Jahon news agency of Uzbek Foreign Ministry reported.

The report said tens of Italian tourists arrived in Urgench, regional centre of Khorezm, with help of direct flight from Rome to Urgench. It added that Italian tourists are familiarizing with sights of the city.

Dmitriy Pak, head of marketing and receipt of Khorezm Palace Hotel, said that the tourists from Vienna, Paris and Tokyo regularly arrived in Urgench in March and April. The report said the large number of tourists is expected from Southern-Eastern Asian states. It said that new infrastructure and new tourism routes are created.

SOCIETY

FIFTH CONFERENCE OF GERMAN LANGUAGE TEACHERS BEING HELD IN TASHKENT

Fifth conference of teachers of German language being held in Uzbek capital. The present conference has been initiated by the Central management on schools abroad (ZfA), Information Centre of academic exchange service of Germany (DAAD), Institute of Goethe and German language teachers association of Uzbekistan.

The Ministry of Higher and Specialized Education, the Ministry of Peoples Education Uzbekistan in collaboration with German Embassy in Tashkent organized the action. Specialists from German speaking countries, as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan are participating in the conference.

Scientific seminar will be held within the frameworks of three-day conference, during which its participants will exchange experience and methods of teaching of German language at schools and higher educational institutions.

Ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland to Uzbekistan participated in the opening ceremony.

KOREAN CHAIR OPENS IN UZBEK UNIVERSITY

Chair of Korean language opened at Uzbek State World Languages University, Jahon news agency reported.

The report said the chair became result of fruitful cooperation of the Uzbek university and Korean Agency for International Cooperation (KOICA).

KOICA sent first Korean teachers to Uzbek university in 2000 and currently over 185 students study Korean as second language.

The Korean agency assisted Uzbek State World Languages University to create modern rooms for teachers and students. It is planned to accept first students to new chair.

"AUTOMOBILE WORLD PRINCESS" WINS MATIZ

Car race among women entitled "Princess of Automobile World 2006" was held by the Women's Committee of Uzbekistan in Tashkent. 27 women car racers participated in the sports tournament. Among them were the representatives of the Russian Embassy in Uzbekistan.

This is the first tournament of its type organised in Uzbekistan - may be time has come for women to show their best in this sport.

To participate in the competition, female participants had to be able to provide the first medical aid, and be familiar with the rule of the road. The programme of the tournament included figure driving with the performance of five positions - "snake", circle, "stop-line"", track and "butterfly". The competition was conducted in three classes: nationals - on Matiz and Nexia, and international - on foreign car models.

The winners of the contest were Shahzoda Kuchkarova and Aydin Ilyasova, and the winner of the Grand Prix - Matiz car - was Zulfiya Maksudova, who had performed on Lacetti.