October 07, 2009
Politics:
Uzbekistan-Oman talks open new cooperation perspectives
Central Asia Border Security Conference held in Tashkent
Economics:
180 companies present 15,500 vacancies at job fair in Tashkent
Green Light for Car Industry
Tashkent to Welcome Investors
Society:
Round table considers improvement of HIV-related legislation
Tashkent region farmers receive medical services
Development of telecommmunications sector considered
Armwrestling team wins four medals in Italy
POLICY
UZBEKISTAN-OMAN TALKS OPEN NEW COOPERATION PERSPECTIVES
President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov visited the Sultanate of Oman with a state visit during 4-5 October.
At the talks of the President Islam Karimov and the Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said, the sides considered issues of development of bilateral cooperation and expansion of trade and economic relations, National News Agency UzA reported.
Islam Karimov said that Uzbekistan highly valued cooperation with Oman. Qaboos bin Said, in turn, said the visit of the head of Uzbekistan was a historical event in the bilateral relations.
The relations between the two states have been steadily developing on the basis of the principles of friendship and mutual trust. The foreign ministries of Uzbekistan and Oman hold regular consultations.
The countries have common views on the issues of fighting terrorism, extremism, arms and drugs smuggling, etc. Oman highly values the efforts of Uzbekistan in strengthening security and stability in Central Asia and normalizing the situation in Afghanistan.
Uzbekistan and Oman actively cooperation in the framework of the international organizations, including the UN and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
Both countries have a huge potential in the field of oil and gas and a lot of experience in development of agriculture. The sides are interested in implementing joint projects in oil and gas, metallurgy, construction, machinery, textile and other areas.
The trade and economic cooperation has also been developing between Uzbekistan and Oman. In 2007, the Cabinet of Uzbekistan approved the plan of actions to expand bilateral cooperation.
Last December, the delegation of Uzbekistan visited Oman and held talks in ministries and departments responsible for the fields of economy, trade, industry, labor, transport, communications and tourism, as well as at the Central Bank.
A business forum was also held during that visit with participation of more than 30 companies and several banks of Oman. A number of agreements were signed.
In March 2009, the Oman delegation paid a visit to Uzbekistan to discuss issues of trade and investment cooperation and sign a number of agreements, including intergovernmental ones.
Thus, the two countries signed the agreement on mutual stimulation and protection of investments, and on avoiding double taxation for capital. They also inked a memorandum on creating the Uzbek-Oman investment fund.
During the state visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Oman, the sides reached an agreement on opening the embassies of the two countries in Tashkent and Muscat.
The talks also resulted in signing intergovernmental agreements on the bases of cooperation and relations between the two countries, on trade and economic cooperation, on air communication, as well as over 10 documents in the oil and gas, chemical, construction, tourism, investment and higher education sectors.
At the business forum that took place during the visit in Muscat, the two countries’ entrepreneurs discussed development of bilateral ties and expansion of investment cooperation.
The President of Uzbekistan visited the Sultan Qaboos Mosque and the Armed Forces Museum of Oman.
CENTRAL ASIA BORDER SECURITY CONFERENCE HELD IN TASHKENT
A two-day conference of the Central Asia Border Security Initiative (CABSI) to discuss border security and cross-border cooperation in the region was held at the Intercontinental Hotel.
The CABSI conference was in the framework of the EU-UNDP Border Management in Central Asia (BOMCA) assistance programme, Uzreport Information Portal reported.
Amongst other important issues, participants discussed Integrated Border Management (IBM) methodologies, border management strategies, IBM training standards and cross-border cooperation in Central Asia.
Effective border security, facilitation of licit trade and transit, and the fight against drugs trafficking are major challenges for Central Asian countries, and their effects have a direct impact on the European Union (EU) and its 27 Member States.
CABSI brings together EU Member States led by Austria, including Finland, France, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Croatia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, and the USA as an associate partner, the European Commission, UNDP, ICMPD, other International Organisations with representatives of the countries of the Central Asian region.
The aim of CABSI is to steadily develop a comprehensive and sustainable integrated border management approach in Central Asia in order to improve border security, facilitate trade and promote economic development. The approach will greatly contribute to the prosperity, stability and security in Central Asia, and supports the EU Strategy in Central Asia.
More than 100 delegates from Central Asia and Europe, including representatives of the OSCE, UNODC, IOM, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, China and other key stakeholders participated in the Conference.
Mr. Herbert Anderl, Director General for Public Security, Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior, Mr. Dirk Meganck, Director of the Asia and Central Asia Directorate of EuropeAid of the European Commission, Ms. Anita Nirody, Resident Representative of UNDP Uzbekistan, together with Mr. Bakhtiyor Islamov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs co-chaired the conference.
Within the framework of the EU-UNDP BOMCA assistance programme, the European Union helps in fostering institutional reform in border management, strengthening training capacities in Central Asia and supporting the improvement of infrastructure along the trade and transit corridors in Central Asia.
The BOMCA assistance programme is funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by UNDP. Since 2004, BOMCA has become one of the biggest EU assistance programmes in Central Asia. The programme's accumulated budget in 2003-2010 amounts to 25.655 million euros. UNDP co-funds the programme with 2.05 million euros.
ECONOMY
180 COMPANIES PRESENT 15,500 VACANCIES AT JOB FAIR IN TASHKENT
The Tashkent administration jointly with the city employment and social protection department and other structures organized a job fair at the Babur park.
More than 180 enterprises and organizations of the capital are presenting 15,500 vacancies at the event, UzA reported.
The most required candidates are specialists like doctors and nurses, accountants, engineers, builders and others.
A number of measures are being taken in the city to increase the employment levels. They are modernizing the existing enterprises, building new objects and development of the service sector.
GREEN LIGHT FOR CAR INDUSTRY
The new company specializing in production of components for cars was launched in Namangan.
The Uzbek-South Korean enterprise, UzChasys, created under a project on establishing a new joint venture for the production of lamps and lights by O’zavtosanoat in partnership with Korea’s Chasys Co. Ltd in the form of a limited liability company with the charter capital of nearly $6 million.
The share of South Korean company is 30%, and that of O’zavtosanoat is 70%. UzChasys LLC and A-M-S Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Chasys Co. Ltd, concluded a contract worth more than $15 million, financed by a credit line of Asaka Bank, for supplying the enterprise with necessary equipment. Following a tender, Uychi Mechanized Mobile Column was chosen as the general contractor to carry out building and construction work worth about $3.9 million.
According to experts, this organization is unique to Central Asia and is equipped with advanced production lines for high-precision polymer casting, ultraviolet lighting, working with aluminum in vacuum conditions. Also, it is supplied with modern equipment for quality control, leak and photometric testing.
“The enterprise will produce eighteen parts of lighting system for vehicles manufactured at GM Uzbekistan,” said director general Ulugbek Karimov. “Another feature of the equipment used at the enterprise is that it can be easily and quickly readjusted for production of lights and lamps for different car models.”
Production capacity is 250,000 sets of lights and lamps a year, with expected annual exports of 5,000 sets. Experts note the estimated payback period of the project is about five and a half years. After all facilities are commissioned, the enterprise will manufacture $40 million worth of import substituting produce a year.
“Despite the ongoing global financial and economic crisis, Uzbekistan retains economic stability and continued growth of the economy” said Chang So Dong, president of Chasys Co. Ltd. “We are convinced that cooperation with Uzbekistan will be fruitful. In the future we plan to expand capacity and going to produce car chassis and lifting jacks.
TASHKENT TO WELCOME INVESTORS
In late October, Tashkent will host an international conference on attracting investment to FIEZ Navoi.
Government of Uzbekistan jointly with Asian Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank will arrange for a conference on attracting foreign investment to free industrial economic zone Navoi, on 21-23 October in Tashkent.
According to organizers, the international forum will gather representatives of over 500 companies from around the world to get familiarized with investment opportunities of the region. The forum agenda includes round tables, talks with representatives of ministries, agencies and companies of Uzbekistan and, of course, a visit to FIEZ Navoi.
SOCIETY
ROUND TABLE CONSIDERS IMPROVEMENT OF HIV-RELATED LEGISLATION
The Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis hosted a round table on the issues of improvement of the legislation related to prevention of the spread of the HIV.
The participants discussed introduction of the changes in the article 113 of the Criminal code, which establish responsibility for the infection of medical patients with HIV due to carelessness.
These include infecting with HIV as a result of violation of blood transfusion, use of non-sterile instruments and other similar actions.
In December 2008, President of Uzbekistan signed a resolution on additional measures to stop the spread of the HIV in the country.
In accordance with the document, the national commission to coordinate the HIV prevention measures was set up.
All AIDS centers across the country are being provided with the new equipment.
The national plan of actions to fight HIV for 2009-2011 was approved.
TASHKENT REGION FARMERS RECEIVE MEDICAL SERVICES
Despite the vagaries of the weather, cotton growers of Tashkent region grew rich harvest on 123,000 hectares of land. The work was organized on a timely harvest without losses.
The arrangements are made for medical and commercial services and meaningful leisure for farmers in the fields.
“During the harvest season the focus is made on the creation of all conditions for the harvesters, especially their health,” said the head of the regional health administration Anvar Akhmedov. “These activities attract skilled health workers.”
More than 600 dispensaries operate in the fields. Health centers, organized on the field camp, and in places of recreation are provided with the necessary medicines.
In order to prevent various infectious diseases doctors in the field conduct extensive outreach.
DEVELOPMENT OF TELECOMMMUNICATIONS SECTOR CONSIDERED
The Cabinet of Ministers’ Complex for Information Systems and Telecommunications held a session to discuss the results of the sector’s development in the first nine months of 2009.
In the reporting period, the sector manufactured goods and rendered services in the amount of over UZS 1.3 trillion, or 26.85% more than in the same period of last year.
The population received paid services in the amount of UZS 820.49 billion (41.6% growth).
UZS 332.8 billion soums (USD 234.17 million) were spent in the sector in the framework of various investment programs.
Exports of goods and services made up 16.8% more than forecasted.
ARMWRESTLING TEAM WINS FOUR MEDALS IN ITALY
Uzbek armwrestling team won three gold and one silver medal at the world championship held in Italy on 6-13 September.
Mirzahid Sharapov won two gold medals, while Maksud Doliyev won one gold and one silver medal.
The Olympic glory museum of Uzbekistan in Tashkent hosted a solemn ceremony in the honor of the winners.
The two athletes were presented with gifts and souvenirs.
Armwrestling is gaining popularity in Uzbekistan. The Armwrestling Federation was set up in the country in 1991.