22 March, 2006
Content:
Politics
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan sign several bilateral documents
Presidents of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan give press conference
Kazakh president lays flowers to Independence and Humanism Monument
SCO experts on information meet in Moscow
Economy
Presidents of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan participate in business-forum
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan to develop economic cooperation programme
EurAsEC commission on customs-tariffs gathers in Moscow
Gas Pipeline Renovated in Uzbekistan
Society
UNDP, Brookings Institution to host conference on Central Asia
ADB grants US$1.5m to improve special education in Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan to host Culture Days of Uzbekistan
POLITICS
UZBEKISTAN, KAZAKHSTAN SIGN SEVERAL BILATERAL DOCUMENTS
Officials of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan signed several bilateral documents on the result of the session in the expanded structure on Monday, 20 March.
President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov and President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev signed joint statement.
The sides also signed following agreements:
- Agreement between Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management of Uzbekistan and Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan on mutual cooperation on conducting measures to fight locusts and other wreckers and diseases of plants.
- Agreement between the government of Uzbekistan and the government of Kazakhstan on international motor communication
- Agreement between the government of Uzbekistan and the government of Kazakhstan on coordination in transborder areas of 30-1000 MHz radio frequencies, used by radio services of civil purpose in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
- Agreement between the government of Uzbekistan and the government of Kazakhstan on cooperation in science and technology
- Agreement between the government of Uzbekistan and the government of Kazakhstan on cooperation in protection of intellectual property.
PRESIDENTS OF UZBEKISTAN AND KAZAKHSTAN GIVE PRESS CONFERENCE
Presidents of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan Islam Karimov and Nursultan Nazarbayev gave a press conference after the negotiations on 20 March.
President Islam Karimov highly evaluated the results of the visit and noted that the peoples of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan had always supported each other and developed close relations.
The achieved agreements and signed documents will serve the interests of the two states and bring the bilateral cooperation to a new level, the head of the state noted.
The head of Kazakhstan noted the special importance of the results of the visit for development of Uzbek-Kazakh relations, including boosting integration processes in Central Asia.
After brief statements, the presidents answered the questions of the journalists.
KAZAKH PRESIDENT LAYS FLOWERS TO INDEPENDENCE AND HUMANISM MONUMENT
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev laid flowers to Independence and Humanism Monument in Tashkent on Monday, 20 March.
The Kazakh leader also familiarised with the building of Senate of Oliy Majlis (Parliament of Uzbekistan) and visited Fine Arts Gallery. At the gallery, Nazarbaev famialrised with paintings, old coins, various historical and modern art works.
SCO EXPERTS ON INFORMATION MEET IN MOSCOW
Moscow hosted a meeting of exports of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on creation of information system to cover activity of the organization.
The meeting was attended by representatives of foreign political and information departments of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the SCO Secretariat.
The experts considered issues on creation of information-print structure to cover activity of the organization in local and foreign mass media, Jahon news agency reported.
The sides underlined necessity to consolidate efforts to spread of information on the SCO activity and social-economic, scientific0cultral achievements of the member states.
ECONOMY
PRESIDENTS OF UZBEKISTAN, KAZAKHSTAN PARTICIPATE IN BUSINESS-FORUM
President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov and President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev participated in business forum in Tashkent, which was attended by business circles of both countries.
Leaders of two states delivered a speech and called businesses of two sides to develop mutual beneficial cooperation.
The forum was held at participation of ministries and departments, as well as entrepreneurs of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The sides considered cooperation issues in oil and gas and non-raw material sectors of economy, including new technologies, telecommunication, small and medium business, agriculture, chemical industry and others.
UZBEKISTAN, KAZAKHSTAN TO DEVELOP ECONOMIC COOPERATION PROGRAMME
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan agreed to create interstate coordination council under aegis of presidents of two countries on Monday, 20 March.
As earlier reported, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev is paying state visit to Uzbekistan. On Monday, officials of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan held negotiations.
The Uzbek and Kazakh officials signed a corresponding memorandum. The council, which will work on regular basis, was entrusted to develop economic cooperation programme between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan for 2006-2010.
EURASEC COMMISSION ON CUSTOMS-TARIFFS GATHERS IN MOSCOW
A commission of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) on customs-tariffs held a meeting in Moscow.
A delegation of Uzbekistan led by Deputy Minister for Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade Akmal Kamolov participated in the event.
The session discussed issues on reserve from free-trade regime of the EurAsEC member-states, unification of customs tariffs of Uzbekistan with those of the organization and results of the commission's activity in 2005.
The sides agreed to continue work on full participation of Uzbekistan in formation of single foreign trade policy of the organization.
Uzbekistan joined EurAsEC on 25 January 2005. The organisation includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan and it was set up in October 2000 to solve economic integration of member-states.
GAS PIPELINE RENOVATED IN UZBEKISTAN
The Swiss ZEROMAX GmbH has finished renovating a long-distance gas pipeline between Gazli and Kagan, Uzbekistan, reported the UZBEKNEFTEGAZ company.
The project cost $25 million. Faulty pipeline stretches extending for 48 kilometres have been replaced. The Uzbek-American joint venture NEFTEGAZMONTAZH, in which ZEROMAX has a controlling stake, was the general contractor. The project has been undertaken in accordance with the UZBEKNEFTEGAZ holding company strategy for boosted natural gas exports northward. In 2005, Uzbek gas exports rose by 20% to 11.5 billion cu m, of which 8.15 bcm was exported to Russia.
SOCIETY
UNDP, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION TO HOST CONFERENCE ON CENTRAL ASIA
Brookings Institution and UNDP will co-host a one-day conference to examine the future of regional cooperation and integration in Central Asia to draw on the findings of the report "Bringing Down Barriers: Regional Cooperation for Human Development and Human Security".
Central Asia has been the focus of international attention since the break-up of the Soviet Union. As countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan become more integrated and dependent upon one another, there is a real need for the region to work together toward a stable, prosperous and cohesive Central Asia region.
In December 2005, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), published a report titled "Bringing Down Barriers: Regional Cooperation for Human Development and Human Security", a comprehensive analysis of the many challenges that confront Central Asia.
The report concludes that strengthening regional cooperation among the Central Asian republics would produce substantial political and economic gains, including income increases of 50% to 100% over the next ten years.
The event will be attended by the experts of United Nations, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other institutions.
ADB GRANTS US$1.5M TO IMPROVE SPECIAL EDUCATION IN UZBEKISTAN
A US$1.5 million grant will pilot a project to help improve basic education for children with special needs in Uzbekistan, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its release.
Special needs education is an area of the formal education system that needs to receive more attention, and special needs students are one of the most vulnerable groups in Uzbekistan, with many of them coming from poor families.
Most special needs students are educated at home or at specialized and boarding schools, often with poor buildings and facilities, obsolete learning material, and limited interaction with other students and society as most of these schools are far from their homes.
This segregated system, even though conceived to focus attention on special needs in each specialized school, has been shown in studies to create a gap between these children and the wider society, preventing them from being integrated into everyday social life, finding jobs, and improving their well-being.
The grant, from ADB's Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, financed by the Government of Japan, will pilot a project that will use inclusive and integrated approaches to improve the learning, social confidence, and social integration of children with special needs.
Inclusive education means including these children in the educational arrangements made for the majority of the children, with facilities which make it possible for all children with special needs to be included in society.
"The project aims to demonstrate the benefits of inclusive and integrated educational approaches for children with special needs in basic schools," says Sri Wening Handayani, an ADB Poverty Reduction Specialist. "Inclusion is not only better educationally, emotionally, and psychologically for children with special needs, it is also more cost-effective."
Eighteen schools - 6 special needs education and 12 general schools - from the city of Tashkent and the oblasts of Kashkardarya and Sukandariya will participate in the project. These schools will work together to develop a model for social integration between children in general schools and special schools. Teachers will also be trained to work in classes where students have different needs, using multiple learning and teaching tools.
Funds will be provided to refurbish the schools, including with information and communications technology (ICT) equipment. Specialized schools will be provided with equipment appropriate for learners with disabilities, such as hearing aids and wheelchairs, while the general schools will be refurbished to make them suitable for children with special needs, such as by installing wheelchair ramps, guide rails for the blind, and barrier-free toilets.
The project is estimated to cost US$1,716,880, with the Government, parents, and teachers shouldering the balance. The Ministry of Public Education is the executing agency for the 2.5 year project.
CULTURE
KAZAKHSTAN TO HOST CULTURE DAYS OF UZBEKISTAN
Culture Days of Uzbekistan will be held in Kazakhstan in near future, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev said.
President N.Nazarbaev said the Uzbek and Kazakh culture workers would exchange opinion on culture and art of two states. The outstanding figures of culture and arts, public will have an opportunity to share views on the cultures of the common roots.