31 July, 2006

Politics
Uzbek head signs resolution on celebration of 2750th anniversary of Samarkand

Economics
Uzbekistan grants tax benefits to local medications producers
French textile machinery manufacturers to participate in Uzbek exhibition

Society
Mirzo-Ulugbek IT College receives new computers
Participants of Classic Car Endurance Rally visit Uzbekistan
Days of Chinese Movies in Tashkent

POLITICS

UZBEK HEAD SIGNS RESOLUTION ON CELEBRATION OF 2750TH ANNIVERSARY OF SAMARKAND

President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov signed on 27 July a resolution to mark 2750th anniversary of Samarkand.

The document said the celebration of Samarkand's anniversary will take place in 2007. The resolution approved a group, which will prepare celebration and undertake measures on restoration of historic monuments of the city.

The document also said international conference "Role of Samarkand city in history of human cultural development" in May 2007.

UNESCO adopted decision to take part in celebration of 2750th anniversary of Samarkand at its 33rd session on October 20, 2005.

ECONOMICS

UZBEKISTAN GRANTS TAX BENEFITS TO LOCAL MEDICATIONS PRODUCERS

President Karimov granted tax benefits for the domestic producers of medications and goods of medical purpose. The benefits will be valid until 1 January 2009.

On 14 July the President signed a resolution "On measures to support domestic producers of medications and goods of medical purpose", intended to form a competitive environment in the domestic market of medications and medical goods, as well as satisfy the population's demand for competitive domestically produced medications and medical goods more fully.

In particular, the resolution exempts the medications and medical goods produced and sold by domestic producers, as well as resources and materials imported for localized production of medications and medical goods from the value added tax for the period from 1 July 2006 to 1 January 2009.

Moreover, the document establishes new procedure, under which customs duties on the resources and materials imported for the production of medications and goods of medical purpose are paid no later than 60 days after registration by the customs office.

Within one-month period, the Ministries of Economy, Finance, and Foreign Economic Affairs, Investment and Trade, and State Customs Committee together with the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Uzfarmsanoat (Uzbekistan Pharmaceutical Industry) State Joint-Stock Company will approve the list of resources and materials to which the benefits established under this resolution apply.

If the resources and materials imported for the production of medications and goods of medical purpose are used for other purposes, the amount of VAT and the income on the sale of resources and materials are collected and directed to the state budget together with the corresponding financial sanctions levied in accordance with the established legislation.

Starting 1 July 2006, for the domestic companies producing medications and goods of medical purpose the resolution introduces tax benefits available for the producers of commodities under the provision 1 of the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated 13 November 2002 No. 390 "On measures to stimulate market saturation with consumer goods and improve interaction between producers and trading organizations."

Under the resolution, companies producing consumer goods pay tax on income earned from the production of consumer goods at a 20% discount against the existing rate. Also companies producing consumer goods are granted the right to determine the amount of annual appropriations for depreciation and amortization independently, based on the fixed assets' useful life. At the same time, for the purposes of taxation, the annual amount of appropriations for depreciation and amortization should not exceed the norms established under the Tax Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan;

In estimation of the income tax, the companies' costs associated with advertising of the produced consumer goods are fully deducted from the taxable base.

Uzfarmsanoat SJSC together with Uzkimyosanoat SJSC, Science Academy of Uzbekistan, and other ministries and departments concerned is to develop and submit to the Cabinet of Ministers a complex programme of production of resources and materials used in the production of medications and goods of medical purpose in accordance with the established order by 1 September 2006.

FRENCH TEXTILE MACHINERY MANUFACTURERS TO PARTICIPATE IN UZBEK EXHIBITION

The French Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association (UCMTF) will organise the national pavilion on a larger scale at Textile Expo Uzbekistan, which will be held in Tashkent upcoming September.

The UCMTF had organized the first national pavilion last year at Textile Expo Uzbekistan.

Rieter Filament Yarn Technologies and Ebelmann will join Fil Control and Laroche in the French pavilion organized by UCMTF with the help of the French Embassy.

As for UCMTF's members Staubli and Superba, they will be showing on the booth of their agent, Textima.

UCMTF and the French companies have been quite active on this promising market in between the two shows.

They initiated a close partnership with the Textile Institute of Tashkent and organized a visit for industrialists and a delegation of officials including the Uzbek Ambassador and the Commercial Attache.

Uzbekistan, in Central Asia, is a fast growing country with a long history of textile. One of the main cotton producers and the second world exporter of this fibre, it includes such mythic places as Samarkand, on the Silk road, and Bukhara, where wool carpets are second to none.

Since the independence in 1991, private enterprise is promoted as well as foreign investments. To process the national production of cotton is a major goal to bolster the textile industry and the economy at large.

SOCIETY

MIRZO-ULUGBEK IT COLLEGE RECEIVES NEW COMPUTERS

Mirzo-Ulugbek Professional College of Information Technology has received 75 new computers for the improvement of the teaching process.

Some 10 PCs are intended for the teaching staff of the college. The remaining 65 machines will be installed in computer labs and other rooms.

The installation of the modern equipment was implemented in cooperation with German Society as a part of the Project on Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

PARTICIPANTS OF CLASSIC CAR ENDURANCE RALLY VISIT UZBEKISTAN

Nowadays a trip along the Great Silk Road takes less than a month. This statement is being successfully proven by the participants of the Classic Car Endurance Rally "Amsterdam-Beijing".

The idea of organizing the rally of 100 vintage cars, which should cross two continents and follow the route of the Great Silk Road all the way from Europe to Asia belonged to a famous businessman from the Netherlands Jan Vermeer. He is also the chairman of the Classic Car Endurance Rally Organisation Committee. The average age of the participating cars is 50. The oldest one is a 1934 Bentley Speed Six.

This was reported at the press conference held by the management of Uzbektourism National Company and Sairam Private Tour Firm acting as the coordinator and partner of the Organisation Committee on its way across Uzbekistan. The administrations of the cities of Amsterdam and Beijing, Ministry of Economy of Netherlands and Dutch Tourism Bureau are providing general sponsorship to the rally. The chief sponsor is the world-famous car producer, Hyundai.

The cars started at the Dam Square of Amsterdam on 15 July. They will run through 14 countries, and most part of the route coincides with the Silk Route. And finally the caravan will arrive at the Tiananmen Square of Beijing on August 13, 2006. The residents of the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and China will be able to see the cars on their way. 100 teams of two persons driving the cars of different brands will cross two continents thereby covering some 17,500 kilometres.

The first three teams to finish will receive special cups. Other rally participants will also receive souvenirs – samples of golden medals to be awarded at the upcoming Olympic Games in China.

For the residents of Tashkent, last Saturday was very special. On the square in front of the Intercontinental Tashkent Hotel, which ordinarily looks spacious, over a hundred classic cars were tightly encircled by thousands of cars.

In all the cities of Uzbekistan lying along the route of the car caravan, hospitable Uzbeks devoted their attention to the participants and looked truly excited by the event. The residents of Tashkent were not an exception. A crowd of professionals, car-lovers and regular passer-bys attracted by such a large number of cars gathered at one place made the square look even smaller.

It is worth mentioning that for these old cars, including a 1934 Bentley, testing the roads, often meandering roads, of this ancient route is not the only goal. There are others. One of them is to turn the rally into a grand show, a moving exhibition.

The Classic Car Endurance Rally Organisation Committee and its partners in Uzbekistan, Uzbektourism NC and Sairam Tourism Company, successfully created an atmosphere commonly found at numerous car shows and other related events. A car race is not only a popular event, it is a giant industry, earning high profits. Nearly all automobile concerns around the world produce certain models of cars specifically designed for car races. Many of them own sport teams and clubs. This adds to their popularity and also allows developing new production techniques and improved models used in mass production.

At the events like this one, one can meet not only interesting participants but also some interesting visitors.

"I have a dream that someday I will have my own car plant," said one of the visitors of the exhibition, a student from Tashkent Alisher Ismailov. Ambitious dreams of the ninth-grader from school No. 145 of Tashkent are not unfounded. Not only does Alisher know all models of cars that participate in the rally, he professionally described all the technical features each of the cars, and interesting facts from the history of car production. "I don't simply study the history and collect the gadgets of modern and classic cars. I try to create my own models, make the designs and technical plans," emphasized young car-lover. The student is convinced that some of his plans are worth the attention of professionals of the leading automobile concerns of the world.

"Young people often take a fresh look, their unexpected suggestions and at first implausible solutions, can later become the basis for new automobile series. In the future, I will try to realise my designs," added future car-engineer.

One of the participants of the car rally, the head of the Dutch PR-agency is visiting Uzbekistan not for the first time. But, he said that, the look taken through the windshield of his classic car allowed him to see a lot of details that he had not noticed before. "I have travelled around the world a lot. But participation in this rally cannot compare to any of those trips. This is very special," said Six van Leeuwen.

The Dutch traveler said he successfully participated in the program on promotion of Uzbekistan Airways' services in the market of the Netherlands, when his PR agency together with the Uzbek partners opened Amsterdam-Tashkent flight.

"I am sure that this rally will help Uzbekistan to get known abroad, and allow to increase the number of travellers visiting your country and other countries of the Silk Road, by different means of transportation, both overland and by air," he added in conclusion.

DAYS OF CHINESE MOVIES IN TASHKENT

The Days of Chinese Movies is being held for the first time in Uzbekistan. The event has been organised by the Forum of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan Foundation in cooperation with the Embassy of China in Uzbekistan and Uzbekkino (Uzbek Cinema) Company. The main peculiarity of the event is in the fact that the movies are demonstrated not in movie theatres but on television channels.

The opening of the Days of Chinese Movies was held at the Art Palace named after Alisher Navoi. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Uzbekistan Yu Hongjun opened the festival with a speech about the achievements of China in the field of movies industry. He expressed hope that this event would become a good tradition and would be held in Uzbekistan every year.

Attache for the Issues of Press and Culture of the Chinese Embassy Chen Wei Wei said six movies to be broadcasted by Uzbek television channels are very popular and famous around the world.

"All these movies tell about the history of the Chinese people, their customs and traditions. I think that this is a good way for the Uzbek audience to familiarize with the Chinese culture closer," he said.

On the day of the opening of the festival, historical movie "Hero" was shown. The movies are currently broadcasted by Markaz channel. They will later be passed on to Sports Channel, and regional television network. The audience will have the opportunity to see the popular movies, such as "New Police Story" with Jacky Chan, "The Shaolin Temple" with Jet Li, "Kung Fu Style", "Together", and "The Warriors of Sky and Earth".

All these movies reflect the different sides of modern cinema industry of China. It is worth noting that last year over 260 movies were shot in China.