23 December, 2011

Politics:
President attends CSTO, CIS summits
Samsung opens Information Technologies Center
Draft Budget Code of Uzbekistan discussed
Society:
Small business entities in Uzbekistan reach 247,208
MTS Uzbekistan offers 4G modems

POLITICS

President attends CSTO, CIS summits

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov attended summits of Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in the city of Moscow December 20.

Regular session of CSTO Collective Security Council in the Kremlin began with a meeting of heads of state in contracted format, followed by an extended convention.

President of Uzbekistan expounded during his speech on issues regarded by the Uzbek side as of fundamental significance.

Signed in 1992, the Treaty has duly been fulfilling its principal function as an instrument to secure sovereignty of nations party to it. The efforts undertaken by the CSTO in consolidating the Organization and its adaptation to contemporary geopolitical configuration have helped boost military-political interaction and start shaping an effective system of collective security, counter new threats and address challenges.

Established in 2002, the CSTO has bolstered cooperation among member nations into a qualitatively new level. The Organization’s specter of activity areas has expanded, including combating terrorism, drug and weapons trafficking, organized transnational crime, pre-empting and weathering the effects of emergencies.

CSTO participating countries have been undertaking measures to secure stability in the area covered by the pact.

Following the session, heads of CSTO member states approved a declaration occasioned to the twentieth anniversary of Collective Security Treaty and the tenth birth date of Collective Security Treaty Organization. A range of other documents have also been inked.

Later in the day, heads of Commonwealth of Independent States convened for a session of Council of Heads of State.

Taking a floor at this venture, President Islam Karimov delivered a thorough analysis of activities by the CIS and its institutions for the past twenty years of its existence. Uzbekistan’s leader stressed that the association played a critical role in securing a harmless dismantlement of the obsolete system during that historic turn.

Uzbekistan has from the very moment of the establishment of this institution insisted that the Organization become an association of practical action and a reliable platform for multilateral cooperation of new essence.

The head of our state noted during the meeting that the Commonwealth constitutes an amalgamation of sovereign nations equally interested in creating a steadfast platform for multilateral interaction for the good of their peoples.

For the twenty years of its existence, the Commonwealth has accomplished a lot and continues in this vein.

According to the President of Uzbekistan, it is hard to imagine what we could have had in the post-Soviet environment without the CIS facilitating the interaction in many vital areas, first and foremost in fostering trade and economic relations, communications and transport, maintaining security and humanitarian cooperation.

Uzbekistan expresses conviction that notwithstanding the current similar integration processes underway in the region, the CIS has a future. The Commonwealth is able and ought to play a role of coordinator of common multifaceted interaction and remain as a platform or forum for a direct communication and regular interstate dialogue, including bilateral meetings in CIS format at both the highest and interagency levels.

New integration initiatives and proposals have been pushed forward lately in the post-Soviet realm, with a variety of interstate institutions and unions being shaped. Uzbekistan is going to define its policy in this regard primarily with an eye to its longer-term national interests, by building on the priority directions of modernization of the country currently in progress, along with adhering to the acting national legislation and international commitments.

It was put emphatically that the effectiveness of CIS activities is contingent on the fact as to what extent the projects and efforts undertaken within it will meet the interests of every participating country, will further the practical goals and tasks of securing sustainable development, maintaining security and stability on the entire space covered by the Commonwealth.

The heads of CIS member nations exchanged views on prospects of advancing interaction and issues pertaining to regional and international politics.

Due resolutions have been approved following the CSTO and CIS summits.

(Source: UzA News Agency)

Samsung opens Information Technologies Center

Center for information technologies has been opened in Yik ota village in Tashkent region on 15 December 2011. The center was created within the project of the Association of Cultural and Scientific Exchange Korea – Central Asia and Samsung Electronics.

New building was constructed on the base of previous Elders House. The center was repaired and provided with heating. New computer class was created and it was equipped with furniture.

At the Center for information technologies, children will study new technologies and participate in educational programmes, as well as use Internet.
Samsung Electronics Co. LTD became donor of the project and issued US$113,000 to the project.
Seongiun Park, director of Human Resource department of Samsung Electronics Co. LTD, said that necessary resources were collected due to donations of the company’s employees.

Bakhodir Olmjanov, marketing manager of Samsung Electronics Co. LTD in Tashkent, said that Samsung Electronics employees participate in the project as volunteers and they will participate in educational programmes of the center. (Source: UzDaily.com)

Draft Budget Code of Uzbekistan discussed

Over 35 representatives of ministries and departments of Uzbekistan, international organizations, several experts gather at Poytaht Business Center on 22 December 2011 to discuss draft Budget Code of Uzbekistan. The sides developed recommendations and proposals on improving the document.

Budget code is legislative act, which determines basics of budget system, its structure and principles, legal relations, foundations of budget processes and inter-budget relations, etc. Budget code allows to consolidate all legislative and normative acts in management of state finances into single document.

This is the second session of the inter-departmental group, which includes representatives of Cabinet of Ministers, Account Chamber, Ministry of Finance, Treasury, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Economy, Central Bank and State Tax Committee.

During the first session, members of the group discussed results of inventory of budget legislation and prepared on the base of this Concept of the draft Budget Code.

It is worth to mention that the group was formed in line with the decision of the Complex on macroeconomic development, structural reforms in economy and complex development on development of territories under the Cabinet of Ministers.

The draft code, as main legislative act in budget sphere, includes principles, norms, and regulations of two laws “On budget system” and “On treasury implementation of the State Budget”, eliminates contradictions and old norms.

The draft Budget Code is developed in assistance of the UN project “Budget System Reform in Uzbekistan”.

The exchange of opinion at the sessions of working group will allow to develop recommendations and proposals on improving draft Budget Code. (Source: UzDaily.com)

SOCIETY

Small business entities in Uzbekistan reach 247,208

As of December 1, 2011, the database of the Single State Registrar of enterprises and organization has 247,208 small business entities (not including farmers) registered in Uzbekistan.

In January-November of 2011 there were 33,092 new small business entities registered, of which 22,309 (67.4%) were in production industry (including 7,394 of industrial entities), 10,783 (32.6%) in nonproduction fields (services) of economy, the information service of the State Committee in Statistics informed.

As a result of measures implemented by the government of the republic to support small business, its share in major fields of economy tends to grow. In particular, by results of January-September this year, the share of small business entities made: in GDP – 50.5%, in industry – 20.7%, in population employment – 74.2%. These figures in the same period last year were – 48.5%, 18.7% and 73.6% respectively.

(Source: UzReport.com).

MTS Uzbekistan offers 4G modems

MTS Uzbekistan, largest mobile operator of Uzbekistan and 100% subsidiary of Russia’s Mobile TeleSystems, started to offer 4G modems to its subscribers.

InfoCOM.uz magazine reported that MTS Uzbekistan started to sell USB-modems HUAWEI E 398 LTE. The oriented price of the modem makes up 500,000 soums.

As earlier reported, MTS Uzbekistan launched the first 4G (LTE) network in Uzbekistan, Central Asia and the CIS. Uzbekistan became one of the first countries, which built 4G network. LTE network allows MTS subscribers to use Internet at the speed of 100 Mbps.

Currently, 4G network of MTS Uzbekistan is available in central part of Tashkent, but the company said it is plans to expand it to all territory of Uzbekistan.

(Source: UzDaily.com)