14 April, 2006

Content:

Politics
Uzbek senator urges integration with Russia, EurAsEC
Sessions to discuss integration issues within EurAsEC
Japan-Central Asia forum to be held in June
Economics
New law to regulate activity of private housing associations
Bukhara region plans to increase number of cattle
Uzbekistan’s Pakhta bank opens new mini-banks in Andijan region
Society
Fund Forum of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan supports gifted students
Tashkent to host "Russian education today" exhibition on 18 April


POLITICS

UZBEK SENATOR URGES INTEGRATION WITH RUSSIA, EURASEC

The chairman of the Senate's committee for foreign affairs of Senate of Oliy Majlis, Sodiq Safoev, highly praised the ratification of the agreement on allies' relations between Uzbekistan and Russia and stressed the significance of Uzbek laws of international importance, approved at the fifth plenary session of the Uzbek Senate.

"Establishment of these relations today, during very complicated situation in our region and in the world, is of significant importance," Safoev said in an interview with Uzbek newspaper Khalq Sozi.

"Of course, at this complex time when certain political powers are striving to exert influence on Uzbekistan and to damage our stability, the agreement gives a particular stress to security issues. The treaty stipulates that the states help each other in case of a military threat by any country or a group of countries," Safoev stressed.

Speaking on Uzbekistan's joining the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) Safoev called it "one of the most effective organizations at the moment".

"Uzbekistan's joining the Eurasian community increases its population to over 200m. This organization has a colossal intellectual and economic potential, a huge market, rich mineral and natural resources," he added.

Safoev believes that Uzbekistan's joining the EurAsEC will pave the way for expanded cooperation between Uzbekistan and other EurAsEC member states.

"The market for goods produced in our country will expand. Especially big opportunities will arise for economic potential of our regions."


SESSIONS TO DISCUSS INTEGRATION ISSUES WITHIN EURASEC

The twenty seventh session of integration committee of Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) will be held in Minsk, Belarus, on 14 April.

The negotiations within EurAsEC will consider issues on further development of the organization and projects of international agreements, which will regulate cooperation in integration as tax, investment, tariff and technical regulation.

The sides will also discuss draft of plan on measures on realisation of agreement on politics on formation and development of transport corridors within the organisation.

The EurAsEC includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and it was set up to solve economic integration of member-states.


JAPAN-CENTRAL ASIA FORUM TO BE HELD IN JUNE

A meeting of the foreign ministers of Japan and the five Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan will be held in Tokyo next June, according to officials.

The meeting will focus on cooperation in energy development, anti-terrorism and poverty reduction policies.

The first Japan-Central Asia dialogue was held in Kazakhstan in August 2004.


ECONOMICS


NEW LAW TO REGULATE ACTIVITY OF PRIVATE HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS

Legislative Chamber (upper house) of Oliy Majlis (parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan has adopted a new law that regulates relations in the field of creation and activity of private housing associations in tenement houses as a voluntary union for joint governance and maintenance, as well as safety and repair of housing facilities.

Senate (lower house) of Oliy Majlis approved the Law "On private housing associations" on 24 February 2006 and the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov signed the law on 12 April 2006.

The document says that housing associations are created on the initiative of private owners of living quarters and is a non-governmental organisation working on the basis of self-governance in line with its charter. A member of the association is not responsible for the association's obligations.

In accordance with the law, activity of housing associations is based on the following principles: voluntarism; organisational and financial independence; self-governance; openness and publicity; organisation of work in compliance with market mechanisms on a contractual basis; competition on the market of communal and repair services; systematic reporting before the association's members.

The document establishes that the government guarantees rights and protection of legal interests of housing associations and their members, assists in development and strengthening of the associations. The state support is realised through: approval of legal documents, including standards in housing sphere; improvement of the system of payment for communal services; creation of conditions for development of competition in housing and communal services; granting privileges and credits; issuing budget loans for repair and reconstruction work; support of low-income families; giving ground areas for permanent use; development of separate programmes and taking other measures in line with the current national legislation.

Housing associations have the right to unite into consortiums (unions) with the purpose of coordinating their activity, exchanging experience, providing and protecting common interests, ensuring interaction of the associations with state bodies and solving other general issues. Such unions may accept organisations engaged in governance, servicing and repair of tenement houses.

Housing association obtains the status of legal entity from the moment of its state registration which is carried out in local state bodies in line with the order fixed by the current legislation.

The new law set that community property of housing association are common premises of a tenement house, carcass and filler structures, stairwells, stairs, lifts, lift and other wells, corridors, technical floors, basements, attics and roofs, internal engineering networks and communications, mechanical, electrical, sanitary and technical, and other equipment and facilities. Community property belongs to owners of premises on the right of share holding. The right for use of community property does not depend on the owner's share in the ownership right for community property.

The members of housing associations are obliged to defray the total expenditure for maintenance of community property. The total expenditure consists of the association members' expenses connected with upkeep of community property, lands and the association's property.

Members of the association pay monthly membership dues, as a rule, in money terms for coverage of the total expenditure. Compulsory payments are monthly dues paid by the association's members for communal services.

Monetary funds of housing associations consist of compulsory membership dues; voluntary payments of the association's members; voluntary donations by legal entities and individuals; income (profit) from entrepreneurship activity; other earnings not forbidden by the legislation.

The Law "On private housing associations" entered into force on 12 April 2006. The President of Uzbekistan entrusted the Cabinet of Ministers to bring governmental decisions into accord with the newly adopted law, ensure revision and abolishment by state bodies of their normative and legal documents contradicting the law.


BUKHARA REGION PLANS TO INCREASE NUMBER OF CATTLE

Bukhara region is planning to increase number of cattle by 25,000 to 526,000 heads this year.

The report said the region developed special programme for 2006-2010, which envisages assistance to cattle breeders.

It is expected that commercial banks will issue 1.8 billion soums to support cattle breeders, while Fund Of Employement will allocate 400 million soums of soft loans.

As earlier reported, the Uzbek President Islam Karimov signed a resolution "On measures on stimulation of cattle in private secondary, dehkan and farm entities" on 23 March 2006. The document envisages support to cattle breeders to boost number of cattle in the country.


UZBEKISTAN’S PAKHTA BANK OPENS NEW MINI-BANKS IN ANDIJAN REGION

Uzbekistan's Pakhta Bank opened five mini-banks in the Boz district of the Andijan region to serve over 340 farms, founded on the bases of collective farms.

The launch of mini-banks will allow farms to speed up banking operations.

Pakhta Bank signed an agreement with 333 farmers on contracting the production and sale of almost 18,000 tonnes of raw cotton and 8,200 tonnes of wheat to the state.

The bank issues soft loans to farmers based on these agreements to pay for fuel-lubricant products, mineral fertilizers, electricity and wages.

The mini banks will also render leasing services, which will help farmers purchase agricultural equipment.



SOCIETY


FUND FORUM OF CULTURE AND ART OF UZBEKISTAN SUPPORTS GIFTED STUDENTS

Fund Forum of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan this year decided to conduct a contest among the students of all regions of Uzbekistan. The best students will get additional stipends for study.

"The new project of the fund is a programme of scholarships for gifted students. This is a kind of logical continuation of the previous programme of educational grants," said Dinara Dultaeva, Press Secretary of the Fund Forum of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan. "In the previous contest we allocated grants on competitive basis for payment of educational contracts, and now it is a kind of additional stipend for the most gifted students".

The students should also pass a contest and show that they are the best, the most purposeful and talented. This programme is for students who will enter 3rd and 4th year in 2007, and now they may submit applications, the deadline is 20 May 2006.

After a strict selection pretenders will be invited to an interview on results of which administration of the fund will decide to whom additional scholarships can be given. The given action is targeted at support of gifted students, and creation of an extra stimulus for their development, so that they could make their life more interesting. "This time we tried to cover as many wishing students as possible, so there won't be any restrictions on higher educational institutions of Uzbekistan. But during selection preference will given to the universities located in regions, and probably social status of competitors will be taken into account as well," Dultaeva said.


TASHKENT TO HOST "RUSSIAN EDUCATION TODAY" EXHIBITION ON 18 APRIL

Uzexpocentre national exhibition complex will host the first in Uzbekistan exposition entitled "Russian education today" with participation of the representatives of leading higher educational institutions of the Russian Federation.

The exhibition will open on 18 April. Its organisers are Federal Education Agency of Russia, representative office of Roszarubejcentre (Russian Foreign Centre), with support of the embassy of Russia in Tashkent, Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education of Uzbekistan, Ministry of Public Education of Uzbekistan.

The exposition will present leading universities from all regions of Russia on various directions, such as economy and service, medicine, management, linguistics and pedagogy, agriculture, information science, engineering. Visitors will have an opportunity to obtain necessary information on participating Russian higher educational institutions and entrance conditions.

A round table on "Russian-Uzbek cooperation in the field of higher education: today and tomorrow" will be held within the exhibition on 19 April. It is expected that a number of meetings will be held as well in the Ministry of Higher and Specialised Secondary Education, National University named after Mirzo Ulugbek, Uzbek State World Languages University, Polytechnic and Economic universities and others with the purpose of discussing perspectives of bilateral cooperation in the sphere of education.