21 November, 2006

Politics:
Uzbek President receives Russian delegation
Egypt welcomes the CANWFZ Treaty - report
Economics:
Uzbek, Austrian banks sign cooperation agreement
Exhibition of business information to be held in 2007
Uzbektelecom sums up results of nine months
Society:
Exhibition of photos and installations illustrating cities of Great Silk Road opens

POLITICS

UZBEK PRESIDENT RECEIVES RUSSIAN DELEGATION

President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received delegation led by the president of Russian Effective Policy Fund Gleb Pavlovsky on 16 November in Oqsaroy Residence.
The delegation led by the president of Russian Effective Policy Fund Gleb Pavlovsky participated in an international meeting titled " State and perspectives of development of democratic institutes and processes: experience of Uzbekistan and Russia " in Samarkand. The conference considered the issues on activity and perspectives of civil society institutes of both countries.
- Uzbekistan pays great attention to such issues, - said Islam Karimov. – The issues considered during the meeting of “round table” in Samarkand are very actual and timely. Such dialogues provide an opportunity to exchange views and experience, to make analysis and corresponding conclusions on occurring reforms in the life of society.
During the meeting in Oqsaroy Residence the sides exchange opinions on perspectives of large-scale cooperation between Uzbekistan and Russia and further interaction of experts, engaged by studying of processes of democratization and political reforms.

EGYPT WELCOMES THE CANWFZ TREATY - REPORT

Briefing for the representatives of the Egyptian mass media was held at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Egypt. It was dedicated to the signing of the Central Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty.
The detailed information on the background of establishing the zone, the course of negotiations and final stage of signing of the Treaty has been offered to reporters. While reporting on the said event, one of the leading Egyptian newspapers “Al-Masaiya”, issued with a circulation of 130,000 copies and distributed in many Arab countries, has published a story headlined as “Egypt welcomes the signing of the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty”.
While underscoring that the initiative on establishing the nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia was first enunciated by the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov at the 48th session of the UN General Assembly on September 28, 1993 the “Al-Masaiya” wrote, that “the given treaty was an important step along strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime”.
In this, the paper also wrote that Russia and China are those countries, which directly border on the states of Central Asia welcome the creation the nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region.
Besides, the “Al-Masaiya” reported that Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abulgeit has endorsed the signing of the nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia. According to the paper, he said that it was a considerable contribution of the Central Asian countries to a nuclear non-proliferation, which could serve as a good example for the countries in the Middle East to deny the strife to possess or create such kind of weapon.

ECONOMICS

UZBEK, AUSTRIAN BANKS SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT

National Bank of Uzbekistan for Foreign Economic Activities (NBU) and the Raiffeisen Zentralbank Osterreich AG (RZB, Austria) signed a memorandum of cooperation in Vienna, Austria, on 15 November.
The Uzbek bank said in its press release, dated 17 November, that the document directed to further deepening business relations between two banks and development of cooperation between businesses circles of Uzbekistan and Austria.
NBU said the Raiffeisen Zentralbank is considering to open credit line to finance purchase of modern equipment and technologies for small and medium enterprises, engaged in agriculture, food industry from Austrian and other foreign equipment producers.
RZB was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Vienna. It is the central institution of the Austrian Raiffeisen Banking Group (RBG) and the core company of the RZB Group. The bank has correspondent relations with over 4,500 banks in 100 countries.
NBU and RZB established correspondent relations in 1996 and currently RZB is strategic partner of the Uzbek bank in Austria, the NBU said in its release.

EXHIBITION OF BUSINESS INFORMATION TO BE HELD IN 2007

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan will organize international exhibition of business information Info-Business & Reklama 2007, which will take place in autumn 2007.
The exhibition, organized by SSP-Expocontact of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will be held on 11-13 October 2007.
The event, which will be held at Central Exhibition Hall of Arts Academy, aimed at expansion of cooperation between businesses and financial institutions, assist to stir up banking and financial services, circulate legal, marketing and consulting services, establish business contacts and others,
It is planned to organize businesses meetings of specialists of the market, establish business contacts between local and foreign companies.

UZBEKTELECOM SUMS UP RESULTS OF NINE MONTHS

Supervisory council of Uzbektelecom held a meeting on 17 November to consider results pf financial-economic activity of the company in nine months of 2006 and implementation of business plan for 2006.
Hakim Muhiddinov, director-general of Uzbektelecom, said the company earned 113.6 billion soums rendering services or fulfilled its plan by 109%.
Revenues from rendered services to population comprised 35.1 billion soums, which makes up 30.9% from total revenues of company.
Number of distance and international calls comprised 179.3 million and number of telegrams made up 354,000.
In nine months of 2006, the company and its branches spent 101.1 billion soums and expenses increased by 6.3% year-on-year.
The company received profit for 7.9 billion soums and net proceeds made up 4.2 billion soums in the reporting period.

SOCIETY

EXHIBITION OF PHOTOS AND INSTALLATIONS ILLUSTRATING CITIES OF GREAT SILK ROAD OPENS

An exhibition of photographs of the cities of the Great Silk Road has opened at the Tashkent House of Photography of the Arts Academy of Uzbekistan, UzA reported.
Over 100 works of the masters of photography and installation of Uzbekistan, as well as Greece, Bulgaria, France, Turkey, Poland, and Azerbaijan are included in the exposition.
For centuries the Great Silk Road has served as a foundation for the strengthening of economic and cultural relations between many countries. These aspects have found their reflection in the pictures, video artworks and installations presented at the exhibition. A major portion of the exhibition is constituted by modern artworks by the authors, such as Babur Ismailov, Fayzulla Ahmadaliev, Jamal Usmanov, Jahon Izentaev, Muhammad Fazili, Vyacheslav Useynov, and Alexander Nikolaev.
The first exhibition on this theme was held in 2003 in Paris, and later in Istanbul, Baku and Tbilisi.