June 05, 2009
Politics:
President receives Saudi Arabian finance minister
President Receives U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan
Economics:
Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia sign credit agreement
Bahrain delegation visits Uzbekistan
Karshi Agrominitech ÅÕÐÎ-2009 Fair Takes Place in Karshi
Bukhara International Airport named best in CIS
Society:
OSCE diplomatic delegation visits Uzbek police academy
Tashkent to Purchase 200 More New Mercedes-Benz Buses
POLICY
PRESIDENT RECEIVES SAUDI ARABIAN FINANCE MINISTER
President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received the minister of finance of Saudi Arabia Ibragim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf at Oqsaroy residence in Tashkent on June 4, National News Agency UzA reported.
“Saudi Arabia has a vast potential, and Uzbekistan attaches great importance to relations with this state,” Islam Karimov said at the meeting.
The sides exchanged views on the issues of development of economic and investment cooperation between Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia.
The finance minister of Saudi Arabia said his country’s financial establishments were interested in participation in investment projects in Uzbekistan.
Uzbekistan’s cooperation with Saudi Arabia, in particular, investment cooperation, has been expanding year to year. At the Arab Coordination Group session in Tashkent in 2007, the agreement was reached on investing USD 800 million in about 30 priority projects in Uzbekistan.
These projects would cover fields of healthcare, education, energy, transport and infrastructure development. The Saudi Development Fund plays an important role in implementation of these projects.
Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia had signed agreements on avoidance of double taxation and mutual stimulation and protection of investments. An intergovernmental joint commission regularly holds sessions. The commerce and industry chambers of the two countries had signed a cooperation document. In April 2009, the governments of Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement on air communication.
The relations between the two states are developing in the framework of the Islamic Conference Organization and the Islamic Development Bank.
PRESIDENT RECEIVES U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UZBEKISTAN
On June 3 at the Oksaroy Residence in Tashkent the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Uzbekistan Richard Norland, according to the Information Agency Jahon.
President Islam Karimov said that the meeting served as a fine opportunity to exchange views on the issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation of mutual interest.
During the Oksaroy talks the sides discussed the further development of cooperation in the sphere of regional security, trade and economic partnership, as well as implementing the prospective projects in humanitarian and other areas, according to the news agency report.
ECONOMY
UZBEKISTAN, SAUDI ARABIA SIGN CREDIT AGREEMENT
The minister of finance of Saudi Arabia Ibragim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf held talks at the Ministry of finance of Uzbekistan on June 4.
The negotiations focused on issues of expansion and strengthening economic and investment cooperation, as well as development of joint projects.
After the talks, the ministries of finance of the two states signed a credit agreement on the project of reconstruction of the Alat pump station in Bukhara region.
BAHRAIN DELEGATION VISITS UZBEKISTAN
The delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain headed by finance minister Sheikh Ahmad bin Muhammed Al-Halifa met the chairman of the State Tax Committee of Uzbekistan Botir Parpiyev in Tashkent.
“Our country is interested in strengthening its relations with Uzbekistan,” the Bahraini minister said. “The present negotiations are aimed at development and implementation of new joint projects.”
The members of the foreign delegation highly evaluated the favorable investment climate in Uzbekistan.
They also held talks at the Commerce and industry chamber of Uzbekistan and signed an agreement on cooperation between the two countries’ commerce and industry chambers.
KARSHI AGROMINITECH ÅÕÐÎ-2009 FAIR TAKES PLACE IN KARSHI
The International specialized fair and sale of mini-technologies and compact equipment for the agro-industrial complex, namely Karshi agrominitech ÅÕÐÎ-2009, took off at the central stadium in Karshi, the administrative capital town of Kashkadarya Province.
According to the report posted at the June 3 edition of the Narodnoye slovo newspaper, it hasn’t been for nothing that fair drew a keen interest on the part of visitors and enthusiasts. Since, over 70 companies from 20 countries of the world are reported to have presented the cutting-edge technologies on processing of raw.
The Kashkadarya – and Surkhandarya-based farmers have had a broad choice of equipment to see and assess on producing and processing the fruit and vegetable as well as meat and dairy products, production of flour and mixed fodder.
The farmers have also learnt about packaging and pre-packing equipment, new technologies on protection of plantation, currying, compact construction for establishing the greenhouses, as well as the wide spectrum of agricultural techniques – ranging from gardening inventory to grain harvester combines.
BUKHARA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT NAMED BEST IN CIS
Bukhara International Airport was named the best airport of CIS countries in 2008. The airport was awarded at the 35th International conference "Passenger. Attention all!", which was held on 26-28 May in Moscow, Russia.
Criteria of the competition included architectural design solutions of air-terminal complex, providing aviation security, informational system, presence of stores, cafes in the airports, etc.
Bukhara airport representatives were awarded with "Airport" Association certificate of merit and special prize.
Directors and specialists of airports and air companies from Russia, CIS and Baltic countries, Europe, and USA took part in the conference.
SOCIETY
OSCE DIPLOMATIC DELEGATION VISITS UZBEK POLICE ACADEMY
A representative delegation of the OSCE diplomatic corps has visited the police academy under the Uzbek Interior Ministry.
The Uzbek Interior Ministry maintains good relations with many international organizations including the OSCE.
Representatives of the diplomatic corps familiarized themselves with the academy's infrastructure. During a presentation, which was organized for the diplomats, the guests learnt about the academy's main activities, structure, organization of the educational process at the academy, implementation of modern information and telecommunications technologies in the process of education as well as the scientific and research activities being carried out by the academy's staff.
The diplomats expressed interest in how the joint project of the academy and the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan on "Assisting development of the system for training law-enforcement specialists at the Uzbek Interior Ministry's academy", was being implemented.
The guests were positive in their assessment of the results achieved in the process of cooperation between the academy and the OSCE: the setting up of a centre for innovative pedagogical technologies at the academy; the setting up of a centre for educational TV broadcasting; publication of educational and scientific literature written by the academy's staff; expansion of the academy's ties with educational establishments of law-enforcement agencies in the OSCE member countries. The sides also discussed prospects for further developing the project.
Representatives of the diplomatic corps noted that educational training at the Uzbek Interior Ministry's academy was organized very well.
TASHKENT TO PURCHASE 200 MORE NEW MERCEDES-BENZ BUSES
The residents of Tashkent and visitors of the capital city of Uzbekistan, who regularly use the services of the city passenger transport, have already been able to assess the smooth move and comfort of the Mercedes-Benz Conecto Low Floor urban buses that are by the way environmentally effective compare to their predecessors.
According to the report by Narodnoye slovo newspaper, the city fleet of motor vehicles acquired two hundred modern Euro-3 buses delivered on the contract between the Toshshakhartranskhizmat Association and German EvoBus GmbH.
As the sides continued to engage in the mutually beneficial cooperation they have signed a new contract for the purchase of yet two hundred more new low-floor urban buses Mercedes-Benz Conecto.
According to the association officials, the first consignment of such buses will arrive in the town in July, which will serve as a good gift for the city dwellers by the celebration of the 2200th anniversary of Tashkent due this year.